With 220 million people, Nigeria has the largest population and one of the biggest economies in Africa. Nigeria also has one of the greatest energy access challenges. Almost half the population does not have access to electricity, and those that do face frequent power outages. This large weak- and off-grid population and other contributing factors means Nigeria could become one of the continent’s largest off-grid appliance markets. The potential value of the off-grid appliance market in Nigeria was USD$537 million in 2018, and is expected to almost double by 2030 to USD$929 million.

Insufficient data about off-grid appropriate appliances makes it difficult for manufacturers, policymakers, distributors, mini-grid operators, investors and other market actors to make informed decisions and identify high quality, efficient products. To help address this challenge, Efficiency for Access has worked to gather data on the availability of off-grid appropriate appliances in key countries.

Since 2018, Efficiency for Access has been conducting market scoping surveys in 10 countries. The Off- and Weak-Grid Appliance Market Country Profile for Nigeria explores the overall market landscape in Nigeria, the common power type, size, price, and warranty of off-grid appliances sold in retail markets, and other findings relevant to sector stakeholders working in Nigeria. The profile summarises data collected through market scoping surveys conducted in local retail shops, testing results of products sampled from the market in Nigeria, and interviews with interviewed a range of stakeholders. For the first time, the Nigeria Country Profile also analyzes the types of plugs and connectors sold with products, a key consideration for interoperability.

Findings from market surveys and interviews suggest that the off-grid appliance market in Nigeria is relatively underdeveloped, but growing. Currently, high upfront costs prevent SHSs from reaching Nigerian consumers at great scale, but field consultants shared that there is a shift in perception happening. SHSs and off-grid appliances are starting to be recognized as cost-effective alternatives to generators and unreliable grid supply. The field surveys also found that although most appliances sold in market are AC, several local solar brands are selling highly efficient products. Raising consumer awareness about the long-term benefits of solar technologies, encouraging appropriate financial mechanisms and renewing policy focus to create opportunities to help users switch from generators to SHSs will help the market reach its potential.

Read the full country profile to learn more.

Almost half of Nigerian’s do not have access to electricity, and those that do face frequent power outages. This large off- and weak-grid population and other contributing factors make Nigeria a promising market for future off-grid appliance sales with the potential to become the continent’s largest off-grid appliance market.

Insufficient data about off-grid appropriate appliances makes it difficult for manufacturers, policymakers, distributors, mini-grid operators, investors, and other market actors to make informed decisions and identify high quality, efficient products sold in their region.

To help address this challenge, Efficiency for Access has worked to gather data on the availability of off-grid appropriate appliances in key countries, including Nigeria. The Off- and Weak-Grid Appliance Market Country Profile for Nigeria analyses four types of off-grid appliances surveyed in 2018 and 2020—TVs, fans, refrigerators and SWPs. In 2020, Efficiency for Access expanded the survey to collect data on other off-grid appliances found in the market, and to document the type of connectors or plugs integrated into or sold with the product. The country profile explores the overall market landscape in Nigeria, the common power type, size, price, and warranty of off-grid appliances sold in retail markets, and other findings relevant to sector stakeholders working in Nigeria.

Download the Off- and Weak-Grid Appliance Market: Nigeria here.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

The 2021 Solar Appliance Snapshots offer a quick primer on the most salient details on 8 solar appliances and 3 enabling technologies. These two-page documents complement the 2021 Solar Appliance Technology Briefs. Each document summarises market insights, consumer impacts, current successes and remaining challenges, as well as recommendations and pathways to scale for each of the 11 technologies.

Similar to the 2021 Technology Briefs, the Solar Appliance Snapshots will be released on a monthly basis according to each technology’s relative level of market maturity:

• Near-to-market technologies: fans, TVs
• Emerging technologies: solar water pumps, refrigerators
• Horizon technologies; cold storage, electric pressure cookers, milling, e-mobility
• Enabling technologies: interoperability, ICT, permanent magnet motors

Photo credit: Cold Hubs

Download the 2021 Solar Appliance Snapshots.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

This most recent series of Solar Appliance Technology Briefs builds on findings from our first LEIA Technology Summaries, which were published at the end of 2017 to help the newly established Efficiency for Access Coalition navigate a nascent market and make the case for its priority technologies.

Since 2017, the off-grid appliances market has grown significantly. This new series of briefs was developed to synthesize the latest market intelligence and chart the pathway to commercialization for some of the off- and weak-grid appropriate technologies most relevant to catalyzing energy access and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. They have been released in groupings based on their market maturity:

• Near-to-market technologies: fans, TVs
• Emerging technologies: solar water pumps, refrigerators
• Horizon technologies: cold storage, electric pressure cookers, milling, e-mobility
• Enabling technologies: interoperability, ICT, permanent magnet motors

This iteration of technology briefs is intended to continue supporting the energy access sector’s understanding of this fast-paced appliances market. The series provides in-depth and up-to-date technology and market insight and analysis for a wide audience–from interested donors, to new entrants to the appliance sector, to seasoned players who want an easy resource to point their respective networks to.

Each long-form technology brief in this series is accompanied by a two-page snapshot. These Solar Appliance Snapshots synthesize the most salient information on market insights, consumer impacts, current successes, remaining challenges and recommendations and pathways to scale for each of the 11 technologies.

Download the 2021 Solar Appliance Technology Briefs

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

Improving the performance and affordability of off-grid appliances and equipment can help make critical income-generating and time-saving devices more accessible to consumers in developing economies. A typical household in sub-Saharan Africa owns 2-5 appliances, compared to the 30+ appliances found in a typical European or North American household. Achieving greater parity in appliance ownership could enable households and businesses in developing countries to realise significant productivity and quality of life improvements.

The inaugural 2018 Appliance Data Trends report presented the first snapshot of energy efficiency, product performance and market trends for off-grid appropriate appliances. Since then, the market has grown substantially. The 2021 Appliance Data Trends report builds on the 2018 iteration and presents updated product performance, energy efficiency, and pricing trends for off-grid appropriate televisions, fans, refrigerators, solar water pumps and early market insights for electric pressure cookers.

Download the 2021 Appliance Data Trends report.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

The 2020 Off-Grid Appliance Market Survey shares key insights on the perceived demand for, and impact of, off-grid appropriate appliances using data collected from 133 industry, policy, and development stakeholders. The survey results reflect the dynamic needs of off-grid consumers and aim to characterize the positive socioeconomic impact of a range of household appliances, productive use equipment, and healthcare technologies.

The 2020 survey was designed and administered by CLASP via the Efficiency for Access Coalition and Sustainable Energy for All. Building upon the previous three iterations of the survey (2014, 2016, and 2018) the 2020 Off-Grid Appliance Market Survey aims to equip stakeholders with the insights they need to accurately assess the market’s needs and shift their activities accordingly. This series, the only repeating survey of its kind, provides a unique perspective of how impact and demand perceptions have changed over the past six years. The results serve as a complement to consumer feedback, which is critical to increasing the uptake and effectiveness of appliances.

Download the Off-Grid Appliance Market Survey 2020 to learn more.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

The off-grid appliance market in Sierra Leone is nascent and the availability of off-grid appliances is limited, mainly due to low penetration of SHS kits, limited access to credit for customers and companies, and low disposable household incomes. However, there is a sizeable potential demand for SHS and off-grid appliances to reach the 80% of Sierra Leoneans living off of the grid.

Insufficient data about the quality and performance of off- and weak-grid appropriate appliances hinders the ability of market actors to make informed purchases, investments, and policy decisions, making it difficult to deliver high-performing solutions to consumers.

In an effort to fill these information gaps, CLASP conducted market scoping surveys in 10 countries, including Sierra Leone. This country profile sheds light on the market like never before. The profile summarises data collected through market scoping surveys conducted in local retail shops, testing results of products sampled from the market in Sierra Leone, and interviews with a range of stakeholders, including members of government, renewable energy businesses, donors, non-governmental organizations and large electrical shops.

Download the Off- and Weak Grid Appliance Market: Sierra Leone report here.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

With a strong local manufacturing and large population, India has a large and growing off-grid appliance market. However, insufficient data on the types and performance of appliances available in the retail market poses a challenge for policy-makers, manufacturers, distributors, and other market actors to make substantiated decisions. Lack of sufficient information could be a barrier to market penetration for high-quality appliances and productive use equipment.

In an effort to fill these information gaps, Efficiency for Access conducted a market scoping survey on off-grid appliances sold in retail markets. Retail shop owners, off-grid solar product distributors, and appliance consumers were interviewed to better understand the local perspective of the off-grid appliances available in local retail markets. The data and market insights presented in this report are aimed to help current sector stakeholders and those interested in engaging India solar appliance market.

Download the Off- and Weak-Grid Solar Appliance Market: India report here.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.

Situated at the heart of the water-food-energy nexus, solar water pumps play a critical role in improving the incomes and resilience of farming households, while delivering benefits for the climate and environment.

In the marketplace, however, developing a high-quality, affordable water pump able to perform under a wide range of geographic and environmental conditions remains a large challenge for the industry. Manufacturers face a tradeoff between supplying a more durable pump at a high cost and developing a more affordable pump that may require more maintenance and operational expenditures over time. At the same time, buyers and distributors looking to supply quality solar water pumps have limited access to quality data about the performance and durability of pumps available on the market.

To fill important knowledge gaps, Efficiency for Access and the Schatz Energy Research Center have published a memo that shares key data from Global LEAP Awards laboratory testing and interviews with industry experts. The memo describes test methods for assessing solar water pump durability in a laboratory setting and highlights a number of steps that manufacturers and distributors can take to improve pump system durability.

The memo also identifies opportunities for how to improve existing test methods and future quality assurance efforts. Market research that assesses the return on investment of a pump over its expected lifespan and typical loan period can, for example, help determine the appropriate financing mechanisms that make high-quality, durable pumps more affordable to consumers.

Read the full memo to learn more about what is needed to improve the durability of solar water pumps.

Solar water pumps have the potential to play a critical role in improving the incomes and resilience of smallholder farmers, while delivering benefits for the climate and environment. In the marketplace, however, developing a high-quality, affordable water pump able to perform under a wide range of geographic and environmental conditions remains a large challenge for the industry. Manufacturers face a tradeoff between supplying a more durable pump at a high cost and developing a more affordable pump that may require more maintenance and operational expenditures over time. At the same time, buyers and distributors looking to supply quality solar water pumps have limited access to quality data about the performance and durability of pumps available on the market.

This memo fills important knowledge gaps on solar water pump durability by sharing key data from Global LEAP Awards laboratory testing and summarizing information from the existing literature and interviews with industry experts. It provides useful recommendations for how to enhance solar water pump durability and identifies opportunities for how to improve existing test methods and future quality assurance efforts.

Download the Solar Water Pump Durability Research Memo here.

About Efficiency for Access

Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.