Peco Power, born out of WITS University’s School of Electrical and Information Engineering (EIE), has launched the Peco PowerBrick in the hopes of transforming the way that communities tackle theirelectrification needs.
Developed and refined over the past seven years by a team of WITS innovators headed up by Professor Willie Cronje, the off-grid solution is designed to be affordable for low-income households, robust to survive demanding African settings, and can be configured for several applications. Being a true, plug-and-play device, no technical expertise is required for installation, operation, or maintenance.
Using Peco Power’s patented technology, the new PowerBrick integrates solar and LiFePO4 battery capacities, improving Peco Power’s first iteration, the Smart Block, which required a separate energy storage component. With a dual power source, the PowerBrick can be charged by solar panels or by plugging it into a regular power socket. With up to 2500 Wh of lithium battery storage PowerBricks can be chained together to provide up to 500 W of continuous power and up to 2500 Wh of peak power.
A 12 V DC alternative to the national grid, PowerBrick provides a reliable power source for unelectrified urban townships and communities in rural areas. However, by connecting it to an inverter, its potential as a backup power source for bridging the gap during loadshedding and outages can be realised.
PowerBrick can power low-voltage lighting and any other 12 V appliance directly. When coupled with an AC inverter, PowerBrick can power 220 V appliances including fridges, computers, Wi-Fi routers and TVs. Peco Power’s flexible and scalable architecture allows households to start small and grow their grids over time, according to their needs and budget.
In South Africa, at least 10% of the population is unlikely to be connected to the grid in the foreseeable future. The low load demand and dispersed nature of rural settlements, as well as excessive and rising infrastructure costs, mean that extending conventional electricity networks is not viable in many rural areas. At the same time, there is a need to improve health and safety with safer alternatives to paraffin, candles, and wood, which are widely used for heating and lighting in unelectrified communities.
WITS, through its Technology Transfer Office, assisted Professor Cronje and his team to obtain a TIA seed-fund grant for part of the research and development of the solution. WITS then partnered with Umbono Natural Resources, an impact investor to start the commercialisation process of Peco’s patented technology. This led to the establishment of the spin-off company Peco Power (Pty) Ltd in 2019.
Peco’s PowerBrick solution can accommodate multiple loads by scaling up power and battery components. There is no central controller and no configuration by a technician is needed. Each device self-configures as the ‘grid’ is expanded in a plug-and-play approach. The smallest 70 W system with a 12 Ah battery provides up to 140 Wh of usage. Homes can get started with a PowerBrick for as little as R3,799.
Peco Power’s CEO, Dorian Wrigley says the Powerbrick is a realistic electrification solution for low-income communities, with the initial investment and expansion costs being amongst the most affordable on the market. “The Powerbrick is also a demonstrable and robust solution for the loadshedding crisis. The scalability of the technology means that households and home offices, right through to large buildings, can have reliable electricity during outages by adding onto their Peco grids to meet their needs. South Africa’s national grid is constrained, and we cannot rely on the utility or municipalities to keep the lights on 24/7. It’s disruptive for business. One of our small systems will keep cell phones charged, the Wi-Fi router on, and a computer powered for two to three hours of loadshedding.”
Due to ease of use and scalability, Peco Power’s off-grid solution also has applications in camping and off-roading, as well as in emergency scenarios.
Aside from rolling out energy, Peco Power’s goal is to have a meaningful socio-economic impact on communities in Africa through sustainable job creation. “This solution has real potential to transform lives, which is and always has been the vision behind Peco Power. We want to link up with humanitarian organisations that share our goal to see lives transformed, especially amongst the poor. If we can access funding together, we can put these solutions in the hands of the people that need them the most.”
Every PowerBrick can accommodate a ‘rent-to-own’ chip which locks the PowerBrick every 14 to 28 days and is reactivated when an unlock code, received via SMS, is loaded into the system. This makes the unit affordable by removing the initial cost, which means that affordable electricity can be provided whilst creating sustainable jobs across Africa.”
Wrigley continued, “With funding partners onboard, we could help set up people with Peco franchises, each renting out their system and serving between 100 to 125 households. There are 100 million households without access to electricity across Africa. If every 100 households are serviced by a Peco franchise, which provides access to electricity, we could create one million sustainable jobs across the continent, while transforming the lives of 600 million people living in unelectrified homes. That is ultimately what we want to be part of. Yes, we want to create a successful business and we would love to see Peco loadshedding solutions in every home, but in that process, we want to look back and see that millions of lives, especially those that need it most, have been transformed because Peco was there.”
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version