What is the name of your solution?
KasanaShare Technology
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
A zero carbon emissions all renewable energy peer to peer energy trading platform enabled by ICT and IoT.
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Almost 1 billion people lack access to electricity, clean water and modern agricultural mills and machines, while 2 billion cook on open fires at home, creating excessive indoor air pollution that leads to respiratory disease, as well as fire hazards. The Sustainable Development Goals have been set to solve such problems by 2030 and thus eliminate poverty for the poorest families in the world, but considerable innovation and financial capital is required to achieve these goals.
The urbanization boom associated with the transition from the twentieth to the twenty-first centuries is at the root of the concept of smart sustainable cities and communities. In the twentieth century, cities housed approximately 12.5% of the world's population (Townsend, 2013); however, this percentage has risen to 52% in the twenty-first century. (UNDESA, 2012). This demonstrates that cities house more than half of the world's population, and this figure is only expected to rise. According to statistical projections, the percentage of people living in cities will be around 70% by 2050. Urban dwellers are expected to account for 86% and 64% of the global population in developed and developing regions, respectively (UNDESA, 2012).
Given the global urbanization trend and the pursuit of sustainable development, the concept of Sustainable Cities and Communities emerged and drew the attention of many researchers and practitioners in the field as a desired goal for future urban development (Nam & Pardo, 2011).
Around developing nations, unsustainable and unreliable energy access especially in slum households has overwhelmingly negative effects on climate change, including increased greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions due to the burning of fossil fuels and coal, which currently accounts for 3,771,000 tones used by the slum households per square kilometer per year, resulting in heavy premature deaths, noise, and air pollution. Main utility grid bypass burning down these settlements as a result of power surges and grid breakdown fires leaving many homeless and helpless.
The challenge is ensuring that cities offer their citizens improved living conditions for current and future generations. These conditions span the economic, technological, social, and regulatory aspects of living. But individualized access to smart clean renewable energy is a dream come true due to the high costs, inefficiencies, and unavailability to power up households, and small and medium enterprises, affecting the social, environmental, and economic growth of ecosystems in low-resource countries.
According to the literature, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) offer high potential for solutions to many of these obstacles faced by cities while ensuring being friendly and viable to the environment (Townsend, 2013). Henceforth, with sharing clean energy through a peer-wise network proving to be a success in countries like Bangladesh and Singapore, KasanaShare an ICT and IoT-enabled peer-to-peer green energy sharing platform rise up not only to break the scourge of the great digital divide but also create a breakthrough to access of sustainable, efficient and effective smart, clean and renewable energy through sharing and exchange to increase adaptability to clean energy and attainability of SDG11, SDG7, SDG9, SDG12 and SDG13.
What is your solution?
KasanaShare is zero carbon emissions all renewable energy peer-to-peer energy trading platform enabled by ICT and IoT for adaptability to clean energy for resilient ecosystems. Sharing energy has proven to be the most effective method for adaptability to clean energy but technical resources are limited due to cut-throat prices and the capacity to translate the internet of Energy, Battery AI, and intelligent Energy management digital infrastructure to create a network of virtual power plants and energy banks for grid efficient energy sources. KasanaShare shall be the first of its kind to utilize the cyber-physical infrastructure based on widely available LoRaWAN technology and low-cost IoT smart meters to enable Real-estate owners and Landlords to become Prosumers through the use of their rooftops as sources of grid energy that can be shared to their tenants at a relatively low price and a surplus be shared with other households in their surroundings or net metered to the utility grid. Our KasanaShare is developed through the use of the Node-RED via IBM IoT platform and MQTT protocol for information interchange.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We are tackling unstainable and unreliable energy access, especially in informal settlements, utility-grid-disconnected areas, and developing housing estates. Inaccessibility to green and sustainable renewable energy has overwhelming negative impacts of climate change which include increased GHG and CO2 emissions due burning of fossil fuels and coal currently accounting for 3,771,000 tons of coal used by the slum households per square kilometer per year resulting in heavy premature deaths, noise and air pollution due to use of diesel generators and main utility grid bypass burning down these settlements as a result of power surges and grid breakdown fires leaving many homeless and helpless. Many slum households live for less than a dollar per day and energy is very essential for the daily operations of these households and their small to medium enterprises that employ many women and youth. The success that we shall register in this area will enable us to scale our solution to other similar areas in the Cities to bring the dream of Climate Smart Cities in Low Developing.
The most affected groups by the problem are informal settlements or semi-informal settlements such as Refugee camps and Slums which act as buffers for many refugees and factory workers. The schools are still burning a lot of cool and have no improved facilities to create conducive study environments for students, the farmlands are also starving, and big portions of land are not put into use due to climate change and prolonged drought seasons. More energy is needed for refrigeration which is fundamental in minimizing food waste and cutting down greenhouse gas emissions.
Driven by the Internet of Energy, Battery AI, and Data Analytics, we provide top-notch sustainable peer-to-peer energy services advance communities and societies. The current solar systems in are largely individually owned with no export and import capabilities for surplus energy with neighbors. Virtual Power Plants are stronger in bridging the gap to even those that cannot afford private ownership of energy generating and storage infrastructure. Our aim is to provide cloud-based energy management solutions and proprietary algorithms for intelligent energy consumption and battery performance optimizations advancing adaptability to clean and smart energy.
KasanaShare not only powers up households but also small and medium enterprises owned by many women and youths in disadvantaged communities such that they can have extra disposable income enabling many to be able to send their children to school and provide electricity power used by children to read at night. The optimal implementation shall begin with Off Grid Smart system and working with Village Infrastructure teams helps us scale faster and advance access. Funding is critical in driving our solution for experimentation in these communities to derive a gold standard of approach and deeply understand behavioral changes and participation of the masses in the above settings.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
Our network and communication links with potential communities for experimentation make us stand out.
We were selected as finalists in the Climate Smart Cities challenge, where we met each other as teams working to address energy access, developing our synergy there and then. This was a very important milestone in establishing contact and building team interoperability.
Finalists of the Climate Smart Cities Challenge are unveiled! - Climate Smart Cities
Announcing the Climate Smart Cities Challenge finalists (challengeworks.org)
We were also selected as finalists at Innovate2030 where we worked with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC under Transformative Climate Actions on the Digital for Climate Change Challenge. We both learned about systemic approaches that we can take in building sustainability and community-led adaptation to Climate Change.
5 Green Tech Projects We Love | UNFCCC
Our team is diverse with skills ranging from Sustainability, Business, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
We are also incorporated in Uganda through URSB
Our Ecosystem partners such as Kampala Green Homes Collab (KGHC), Sustainable Partners Advancing Regenerative Communities (SPARC), and Village Infrastructure, and some of those which make us stand out.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Support informal communities in upgrading to more resilient housing, including financing, design, and low-carbon materials or energy sources.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
East Africa
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
What is your solution’s stage of development?
Pilot: An organization testing a product, service, or business model with a small number of users
How many people does your solution currently serve?
We are currently piloting with a 3-household site in Uganda and the people living in these households are about 19 benefiting from the solution through the Village Infrastructure Scheme
Why are you applying to Solve?
For East African Market alone, we want to mobilize the 6 countries to provide cloud-based energy management solutions that are powered by AI technology to help 10,000 households in each country reach above breakeven of sustainable energy access through a scalable B2B and B2C amounting to $2.5-5 million per country. KasanaShare as a whole most likely needs to reach 60,000 households and $15-30 million to achieve B2C breakeven, by 2030.
These optimistic goals need just more than finance, we are looking for a network of Angel investors and fundraisers to offer their time and resources and help us build the future of energy access and transition.
KasanaShare as a provider of energy management solutions that are powered by AI technology looks aims to make revenue through direct sales and provision of energy management solutions.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Sheila Nabuduwa
What makes your solution innovative?
The KasanaShare Product combines software, hardware, and financial products into a set of micro infrastructure solutions that help reduce poverty in multiple ways, including increasing access to solar electricity, clean water, and agricultural machinery.
The Hardware includes the SpacShare AI battery pack and control toolkit, solar-powered LED lighting to replace kerosene lamps and candles, solar pumps and mills from VIA to replace diesel pumps and mills and reduce hours of manual labor often by women needed to fetch water and process crops by hand, solar electric cooker to reduce the use of biomass stoves and fires and reduce time spent fetching fuelwood and automating simple cooking tasks; solar refrigeration, washing machines, and dryers to help preserve food and crops and save time washing clothes by hand. Pilot study so far shows that hours saved by particularly women through access to such modern tools allow them to spend in income generating tasks earning up to approximately USD 30 per month which exceeds the costs of managing and running such infrastructure.
The Software includes the Pay-as-you-go and smart metering infrastructure in solar systems to aid in managing payment for these products both at the individual level and shared community scale, the cloud-based energy management platform powered by AI technology and proprietary algorithms.
In regard to finance, we aim to provide lease-purchase and rent-to-own services to ensure affordability and eventual ownership of the assets.
What are your impact goals for the next year and the next five years, and how will you achieve them?
We plan to serve 1000 households next year by installing 100 to 150 peer-to-peer mesh energy networks and rolling out the first version of our LoRaWAN internet infrastructure.
The success of these shall catapult as seek further investments to connect 7000 households in the next five-year roadmap.
We hope to achieve a social and economic impact through the following ways;
> Increase power efficiency
> Empower women and children by sparing time and automating tasks.
> Increase productivity and digital economic progress.
> Zero CO2 emissions
> Amplify scalability.
> Lower maintenance costs (managing the system but the solar energy is free)
> Extra revenue for grid owners and more disposable income for households
> Readily available energy through Intelligent energy management solution and battery AI
> Break the digital divide through LoRaWAN connectivity and the Internet of Energy
> Increase power efficiency
Partnerships with great fundraisers and angel investors shall catapult our Tagert attainability.
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?
We use the SDG Targets and indicators focusing mainly on SDG 11 of Sustainable cities and communities.
utilizing Earth Observation through the Google Earth code-engine platform, we deploy machine learning algorithms to validate the various data variables such as the proportion of people with access to sustainable housing or those in slum households, the divide and distance from the main distribution or electricity grid, the Air pollution, the green vegetation coverage, and trees, proportion of active farmlands and other technologies.
What is your theory of change?
KasanaShare a Peer-to-Peer Energy Sharing Company:
Goal:
To provide cloud-based energy management solutions powered by AI for battery performance, virtual power plant, and smart charging technology to enable a sustainable and reliable energy future.
Assumptions:
1. There is a growing demand for sustainable and reliable energy solutions.
2. The adoption of battery storage, virtual power plants, and smart charging technologies will continue to increase.
3. AI-powered energy management solutions will improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.
4. Peer-to-peer energy sharing can facilitate the transition to a decentralized energy system.
Interventions:
1. Develop and launch a cloud-based energy management platform that integrates battery performance, virtual power plant, and smart charging technologies.
2. Utilize AI to optimize energy consumption, reduce waste, and maximize the use of renewable energy sources.
3. Implement a peer-to-peer energy trading platform to allow consumers to share their excess energy with others in the network.
4. Partner with utilities, energy providers, and other stakeholders to expand the reach of the platform and enable a seamless integration with the grid.
Outcomes:
1. Increased adoption of sustainable and reliable energy solutions.
2. Reduction in carbon emissions and greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Improved energy efficiency and reduced energy costs for consumers.
4. Increased use of renewable energy sources.
5. Transition to a decentralized energy system that is more resilient and adaptable to changing energy needs.
6. Increased awareness and engagement around sustainable energy practices.
Indicators:
1. Number of users of the platform.
2. Reduction in carbon emissions and greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Energy cost savings for users.
4. Percentage of renewable energy sources used in the network.
5. Adoption of battery storage, virtual power plants, and smart charging technologies.
6. Number of partnerships established with utilities, energy providers, and other stakeholders.
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
The KasanaShare Product combines software, hardware, and financial products into a set of micro infrastructure solutions that help reduce poverty in multiple ways, including increasing access to solar electricity, clean water, and agricultural machinery.
The Hardware includes the SpacShare AI battery pack and control toolkit, solar-powered LED lighting to replace kerosene lamps and candles, solar pumps and mills from VIA to replace diesel pumps and mills and reduce hours of manual labor often by women needed to fetch water and process crops by hand, solar electric cooker to reduce the use of biomass stoves and fires and reduce time spent fetching fuelwood and automating simple cooking tasks; solar refrigeration, washing machines, and dryers to help preserve food and crops and save time washing clothes by hand. Pilot study so far shows that hours saved by particularly women through access to such modern tools allow them to spend in income generating tasks earning up to approximately USD 30 per month which exceeds the costs of managing and running such infrastructure.
The Software includes the Pay-as-you-go and smart metering infrastructure in solar systems to aid in managing payment for these products both at the individual level and shared community scale, the cloud-based energy management platform powered by AI technology and proprietary algorithms.
In regard to finance, we aim to provide lease-purchase and rent-to-own services to ensure affordability and eventual ownership of the assets.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new application of an existing technology
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
If your solution has a website or an app, provide the links here:
https://github.com/KASANASHARE/KasanaShare_App
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
How many people work on your solution team?
2 fulltime and 4 part-time, 1 contractor
How long have you been working on your solution?
4 years
What is your approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into your work?
We are a social impact and civically driven organization that employs community engagement with respect to Justice, Equity, Diversity and inclusion.
What is your business model?
Value Propositions > Increased power efficiency > Zero CO2 emissions > High scalability > Low maintenance costs (managing the system but the solar energy is free) > Extra revenue for grid owners and more disposable income to households > Readily available
Customer Segments > Energy retailers > Real estate developers > Landlords
Key Partners > Online digital payment systems (mobile money, payway, apay) > Community Leaders > City planners > Real Estate Developers
Revenue streams > KasanaShare system charges, and internet connectivity charges
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable?
Sustainability Plan
1. Rent to own
2. Leasing of Systems
3. Collaboration with Financial institutions
4. Carbon pay principle advocating
5. Carbon crediting
For East African Market alone, we want to mobilize the 6 countries to provide cloud-based energy management solutions that are powered by AI technology to help 10,000 households in each country reach above breakeven of sustainable energy access through a scalable B2B and B2C amounting to $2.5-5 million per country. KasanaShare as a whole most likely needs to reach 60,000 households and $15-30 million to achieve B2C breakeven, by 2030.
These optimistic goals need just more than finance, we are looking for a network of Angel investors and fundraisers to offer their time and resources and help us build the future of energy access and transition. KasanaShare as a provider of energy management solutions that are powered by AI technology looks aims to make revenue through direct sales and provision of energy management solutions.
Solution Team
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Aaron Masuba BRAC University
-
Ms. Sheila Nabuduwa Student, BRAC University
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Our Organization
Afrosoltech Industries Ltd