Nigeria & beyond
Replacing diesel with solar generators for SMEs
It’s not easy to replace fossil fuel generators
Across sub-Saharan Africa, households, businesses and public institutions often rely on diesel and petrol generators when the grid is unreliable – in Nigeria alone, over 20 million fossil generators are in use. These machines are noisy, polluting and costly to run. But replacing them with solar is not always straightforward. Customers face high upfront costs, while providers need better information about how people use electricity to design reliable, appropriately sized systems suited to local conditions.
#StopGuessing: using data to develop robust solutions
A2EI began by investigating the problem rather than guessing at a solution. Since 2019, we have collected data on grid and generator use, energy costs, emissions and noise, alongside interviews with households and shop owners. This research informed data releases and market analyses, including a report co-published with Dalberg on Nigeria’s generator market and the potential for a large-scale shift to solar.
We used these insights to develop and test solar generators tailored to local needs, aiming to demonstrate market potential and lay the groundwork for private-sector growth. Between 2022 and 2024, we sold and distributed over 2,500 units, gathering insights into customer demand, local load profiles and system performance. We also trained local distributors and technicians, monitored systems through Prospect, and published data and reports to help private-sector actors develop their own products.
As the market grew, A2EI shifted from product development to supporting the wider sector. Today, we help manufacturers through research on generators, local testing, technical guidance, hardware recommendations, and quality assurance. We also work with industry partners to improve product standards and have developed low-cost, secure metering prototypes for projects that need reliable data. Smart meter data helps providers understand real-world energy use and design systems around customer needs. Through the Repairability Alliance, we connect manufacturers, distributors, service providers, organisations and funders through a shared repair platform.
Sharing insights as a common good
Solar generators offer customers a cleaner, quieter and more efficient alternative to fossil fuel generators. Data from A2EI’s pilots, monitoring, and research helps the industry improve products and respond to real-world needs. By bringing together field knowledge, operational data and manufacturer insights, we help partners make informed product-design decisions and build more sustainable, circular value chains.
We make our expertise available as a shared resource, helping bridge gaps in collective learning and making open-source research, software and hardware accessible – particularly where private sector actors may be unable to share them. This way, we aim to give the entire sector tools to make reliable solar generators more accessible and build a stronger foundation for replacing fossil fuel generators at scale.
Have questions, or a challenge in the solar generator market you’d like to see tackled? Drop us a line at info@a2ei.org!
