PyroPower Africa Stage 2

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Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK

£13,448,740

Aug. 31, 2022

Aug. 31, 2025

PyroPower is a containerised 100 kW waste to energy technology developed by PyroGenesys and ICMEA-UK in Energy Catalyst Round 6 (ECR6). The conversion of agricultural waste to renewable electricity, process heat and biofuels simultaneously, underpins PyroPower's novel multi-revenue ability to provide reliable, affordable, renewable electricity in off-grid communities.

Project partner Mobinet will facilitate access to formal banking services, microfinance and credit using their SIMPAY mobile banking platform. Proactive engagement and facilitation of women farmers and women-owned and run businesses, and wider engagement with disadvantaged groups to ensure they are included and their specific priorities and needs are being met, will be prioritised by all partners.

ATMANCorp owns a 700 hectare cassava farm and flour mill in Oyo State and will host the PyroPower pilot along with a Micro Enterprise Park (MEP) and guarantee the supply of agricultural waste. The pilot will provide biofuel to a 250kva genset used to generate power for the factory and MEP and supply culinary-grade steam used for sterilising food processing lines in the factory.

Aston University will build on their biofuel work with PyroGenesys in ECR7, to develop a continuous liquid biofuels process for producing diesel and kerosene. Manufacturing methods required to scale up the process for commercial production, will be developed by ICMEA-UK.

Introduction of these liquid biofuels to the Nigerian market, in the form of renewable alternatives to diesel and kerosene, will be managed by Ardova PLC, a major Nigerian hydrocarbon reseller that supplies petroleum products to around 500 filling stations across the country.

Within 5 years of project start, lessons from the pilot will inform the rollout of 100 commercial PyroPower installations across Ardova's filling station network.

Deploying Mobinet's SIMPAY payment platform will support cashless electricity purchases made using featureless mobile handsets with no internet access in communities selected by Ardova to host commercial PyoPower installations.

The export of solid biofuels in the form of solid smokeless biochar briquettes as a renewable alternative to coal, will be managed by PyroGenesys ECR7 partner Coal Products Limited (CPL).