Q&A: Why productive use of energy is Africa’s next big bet

From the newsletter

Productive Use of Energy (PUE) is shifting from a niche idea to a key driver of energy access and economic growth in Africa. Agriculture leads in adoption, driving the development of irrigation, storage, and cooling. We spoke with Mary Wanjiru, Production Sync Engineer at Savanna Circuit, on how PUE is evolving on the continent.

• Savannah Circuit builds solar-powered products, including cooling milk chillers, solar dryers, and dairy management solutions for post-production across the supply chain, focusing on aggregation, chilling during transit, and performance management.

• Her definition of PUE maintains a human-centred approach. ‘It's about making sure that the energy generated, whether from renewables or other sources, directly benefits the people who need it the most.’

Savanna Circuit has an interesting niche in clean energy. Could you tell us about some of the innovations you’ve developed for the agricultural sector?

Mary: We've had a few game-changers. Our MaziwaPlus system was an early win, a solar-powered milk chiller on a motorbike. It’s a simple concept, but it solved a massive problem: milk spoilage from the farm gate to the collection centre. This innovation was about meeting farmers where they are, literally. But we quickly realised that even that was too expensive for some.

This led us to our latest project, SOLAR THRIVE, and the concept of "cooling as a service." Instead of asking farmers to buy a full system upfront, we redesigned the model so they only purchase what they use, while we maintain the complex technology at a central hub. Farmers simply pay per litre of chilled water, which makes it much more affordable. This model was a direct response to farmer feedback, proving that the best ideas often come from the people you're trying to serve.

How do you go about getting this crucial end-user feedback?

Mary: We build feedback into every phase of our work. When we start a new project with a farmer group, we first meet with their leaders to establish rapport. Then, we hold meetings with the main users to understand their challenges and what features they want. For example, a fishing community might need something collapsible, while a dairy community needs a rigid system.

We bring prototypes, test the software with them, and adjust based on their input,  whether that’s making things simpler, more affordable, or easier to use. Even pricing is discussed openly. When we deploy, we do it in small batches first, gather feedback, and then improve before rolling out widely. This way, our products are not only technically sound but also shaped by the community.

How do you measure and track the socio-economic impact of your PUE solutions on rural communities over time?

We look at both numbers and lived experiences. We track things like how much produce is saved from spoilage, whether farmers are earning more, and if new jobs are created around the system. But we also listen to the stories, like women having more time in their day, or youth finding new opportunities because cooling has made the market more reliable. For us, impact is not just energy delivered, it’s livelihoods improved.

Many startups struggle with financial and logistical challenges. How does Savannah Circuit navigate these hurdles in resource-constrained environments?

Mary: You’re right, these are our biggest battles. The initial cost of clean energy tech is a major barrier. To get around this, we've developed innovative financing models. The "cooling as a service" model is one of them, but we also partner with banks and cooperatives to provide subsidised loans. This makes our solutions accessible without requiring a huge upfront investment from the farmer.

On the logistics side, we’ve learned to empower local communities. Instead of sending a technician from Nairobi to a remote village every time there's an issue, we train and empower local people from the very start of a project. They work alongside our team during installation and learn the ins and outs of the system. This not only builds local capacity but also makes our operations more efficient and sustainable. As a bonus, we incentivise them with a small pay or a free unit so they can continue to learn and train others.

How do you foresee financing models evolving to support more affordable, scalable renewable energy solutions for smallholder farmers?

Financing will move towards being more flexible and farmer-friendly. Instead of asking farmers to pay a big amount upfront, models like pay-as-you-go and cooling-as-a-service will continue to grow. We’ll also see more partnerships with cooperatives, banks, and even fintech platforms so farmers can pay in smaller, manageable amounts. The future is making clean energy feel like a daily service, something affordable, predictable, and easy to access.

What are the most crucial lessons you've learned about designing technology for the African context?

Mary: The biggest lesson is that you have to co-create with the community. You can’t just show up with a pre-packaged solution and expect it to work. We spend a lot of time sitting with farmers, understanding their unique realities. A system that's perfect for a dairy farmer in Central Kenya might be completely wrong for a fishing community in Kisumu. Their needs are different, their environments are different, and their livelihoods depend on these nuanced distinctions.

This is why we focus on scalability and modularity. The systems we design have to be flexible enough to grow with the community's needs. A farmer who starts with a small 25-litre Nomad can, with the right support, need a much larger system in a year. Our technology has to be ready for that. We also build hybrid models because we know that in some regions, relying solely on solar is a non-starter due to cloudy weather. Blending solar with battery storage or other sources ensures reliability.

What emerging technologies do you believe will transform productive use of energy in Africa over the next decade?

Mary: Two technologies stand out: flexible solar and the Internet of Things (IoT). I'm especially excited about flexible solar because it's lightweight, portable, and can be deployed on any curved surface. Imagine being able to use it on a bike or a small structure. Once we can solve the current efficiency challenges, it will be a game-changer for accessibility and portability.

As for IoT, we're already using it to monitor our equipment in real-time, which has significantly reduced downtime. Instead of waiting for a farmer to call us from a remote area to say a machine has failed, we can proactively send a technician to fix it. In the next five years, I think IoT will be massive, enabling real-time monitoring and management of systems everywhere. It will revolutionise how we approach maintenance and service delivery. And as a side note, I think e-mobility adapted for rural roads could quietly transform how food and goods reach markets.

How can policymakers better support this rapid growth and innovation in the clean energy sector?

Mary: We need policies to catch up with the pace of innovation. As it stands, there's a huge gap. Innovators are moving at breakneck speed, but we are often limited by outdated regulations. We need policies that not only enable investment but also protect consumers and promote inclusivity.

Furthermore, there is a serious need for harmonised standards across Africa. It’s incredibly frustrating to design a product in Kenya and then have to completely re-engineer it to meet different standards in a neighbouring country like Tanzania. This lack of uniformity stifles cross-border trade and slows down the adoption of much-needed solutions. We need our leaders to work together to create a seamless environment for clean energy to thrive across the continent.

Looking ahead, what partnerships or innovations are you most excited about to unlock the next phase of energy access and productivity?

Looking ahead, I’m most excited about partnerships that treat energy as part of the wider food system rather than a standalone service. When energy providers work hand in hand with farmer cooperatives, buyers, processors, fintechs, and even local universities, the result is not just electricity but a whole ecosystem that reduces waste, creates jobs, and strengthens incomes. On the innovation side, I see huge potential in modular cold chains that farmers can grow into, hybrid systems that keep running in all weather, and digital tools that connect produce to markets in real time. 

But technology alone won’t unlock the next phase; it’s the business models that make them usable. Pay-as-you-go, cooling-as-a-service, blended finance, and even carbon credits can turn what feels like a big investment into an everyday service that farmers can afford. What excites me most is the idea of community hubs powered by renewables where cooling, processing, transport, and even digital payments come together under one roof. That’s when energy stops being just about access and becomes the backbone of food security and rural prosperity. 

What lessons from your experience could inform national or regional strategies to accelerate productive use of energy?

One lesson is that energy has to be seen as more than electricity; it’s an enabler of food security, income, and dignity. National and regional strategies should prioritise small, decentralised systems because they deliver impact faster than waiting for large grid projects. Another lesson is the value of listening; policies designed with farmer and community input are far more effective than top-down solutions. Finally, harmonising standards and supporting local manufacturing across the region would make it easier for solutions to move across borders, lower costs, and speed up adoption. In short, strategies that are people-centred, flexible, and regionally aligned will go much further in accelerating productive use of energy.