Photon Energy Joins With Tanzanian Company
Reading-based renewables company Photon Energy is leading the way to a new market in solar panels by taking its expertise to Africa. It has joined up with Tanzanian company Comfix Engineering Ltd to help find a solution to some of the problems caused by the country's unreliable electricity supply, which severely handicaps its growth and development.
Photon Energy's director and general manager, Jonathan Bates, recently travelled out to Africa to prepare the joint venture which aims to strike deals with organisations such as housing developers, businesses, schools and hospitals across the country.
He explained: "People in Tanzania face frequent power outages which they cope with by switching on diesel generators "“ but these are smelly, noisy and expensive to run, and it's a very big problem.
"Instead, we want to deliver a valuable service: solar arrays that power banks of batteries that can continue to provide electricity much more cheaply until the mains power returns.
"The sunny weather conditions in Africa and the plunging costs of the technology have now made solar power a genuine option. I'm a firm believer in trade not aid, and this is an excellent way to do business with communities on an equal footing."
Photon Energy was launched in 2006 and has grown to become a market-leading installer of solar PV and wind turbines to customers around the UK, including farms, housing associations, house-builders and other businesses.
Before co-founding Photon Energy, Jonathan's early career was spent with IT Power, a company that supported overseas aid programmes run by agencies such as the World Bank, United Nations and the European Commission.
Jonathan added: "It's a business opportunity but it's also motivated by an interest in the intractable problems caused by the unreliable power supply in Africa.
"We're delighted to be working with Comfix Engineering on this venture and it demonstrates the scope of what Photon Energy is capable of doing."
Photon Energy also plans to work with the WAMA Foundation, a non-governmental organization founded in 2006 by the Tanzanian First Lady, Mama Salma Kikwete, to give women and girls better access to education, health services, family planning and economic opportunity.
According to latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs, UK exports to sub-Saharan Africa in September totalled £667 million out of a global total of £11.7bn "“ just five per cent.
