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Explore this ideaLumoGrid — Village Solar Mini-Grids
Deployment and management of community solar mini-grids in unelectrified Senegalese villages, with pay-per-use via mobile money.
The Problem
Despite the Senegal Emerging Plan, over 35% of the Senegalese population has no access to electricity, mainly in rural areas. Extending the SENELEC grid to isolated villages costs billions and takes decades. Lack of electricity stunts economic development, prevents food refrigeration, limits access to education (no lighting at night), and forces women to cook with wood.
The Opportunity
Solar panel costs have dropped 90% in 10 years, making rural mini-grids economically viable. ASER (Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency) subsidizes up to 60% of investments. Mobile money (Wave, Orange Money) now covers rural areas, enabling pay-per-use without banking infrastructure.
The Concept
LumoGrid installs community solar power plants (20-100 kW) serving 50 to 200 households per village. Each household is connected via a smart IoT meter enabling prepayment by SMS or Wave. Rates are graduated: lighting plan (3,000 FCFA/month), standard plan (6,000 FCFA), entrepreneur plan (refrigerator, tools, 12,000 FCFA). LumoGrid ensures preventive maintenance via a team of trained local technicians. The company is paid through subscriptions and ASER subsidies.
The "Secret Sauce" (USP)
- Prepaid SMS IoT meter: no technician needed to cut/restore electricity — full remote management, 60% reduced operating costs
- Trained local technicians: each village has its own resident technician, creating local employment and ensuring fast maintenance
- ASER-ready model: financial and technical structure pre-validated for obtaining ASER subsidies, accelerating deployment
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
To get started quickly:Deployment of a first 30 kW mini-grid in a pilot village of 80 households in the Kaolack region, with 3 months of IoT meter and Wave payment system testing.
