Off Grid Electric announced as winner of the SME category
At the Zayed Future Energy Prize awards ceremony held in Abu Dhabi on January 19, Off Grid Electric (OGE) was announced as the winner of the Small and Medium Enterprise category. The Zayed Future Energy Prize is the UAE’s international award that recognises and empowers pioneers in renewable energy and sustainability. The prize is part of the UAEs vision and commitment to finding solutions that will meet the challenges of climate change, energy security and the environment.
CEO and joint founder Xavier Helgesen of Off Grid Electric commented, “The major factor that keeps solar from being adopted more widely is that people are expected to pay for a lifetime of energy in one go. However if people in Tanzania and Rwanda can pay for their solar energy via their savings or income over a period of time, it becomes a very easy decision to go for solar.” Off Grid Electric’s massively scalable pay-as-you-go model is attracting 10,000 new households a month.
OGE will devote the $1.5 million prize fund towards growing its salesforce in Tanzania. Currently OGE employs around 1,000 people in Tanzania and it is aiming to recruit more graduates from local universities to work in sales and after sales roles, which are key to the success of the OGE model.”
Samer Salty, CEO of Zouk Capital, “We were delighted to hear of Off Grid Electric’s success in this prestigious and highly competitive award, where innovation is an important criterion. The company is at the forefront of using technology to rapidly scale this distributed energy business, and has the potential to light Africa. This is the second Zouk portfolio company to be honoured by the Zayed Future Energy Prize - Orb Energy, India’s leading provider of solar energy and hot water systems, was runner-up in the SME category in 2012.”
In other categories, former Prime Minister of Norway, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland received a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Large Corporation category prize was awarded to Chinese electric vehicles manufacturer BYD. Indonesian non-profit organisation Kopernik was announced as the winner in the Non-Profit Organisation category. Five schools spanning five regions of the globe were the winners in the Global High Schools category.
About the Zayed Future Energy Prize
The Zayed Future Energy Prize was established by the UAE leadership in 2008 in honour of the environmental, social, and economic sustainability advocated by the nation’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (God bless his soul). More than 200 million people are experiencing the sustainable actions of the prize’s 48 winners to date. The 9th Zayed Future Energy Prize is open for entries. Enter online at www.ZayedFutureEnergyPrize.com
About Off Grid Electric
Off Grid Electric was founded by Erica Mackey, Joshua Pierce and Xavier Helgesen in late 2011 with a vision to light Africa in a decade. The company is based in Arusha, Tanzania. For more information, go to www.offgrid-electric.com
