Sheffield battery firm seals $7m funding to roll out clean energy tech in Africa

A Yorkshire battery tech company has secured $7m in funding to accelerate its work in Africa.

Sheffield-based Mobile Power (Mopo) uses solar powered hubs and local agents to rent out batteries to customers with limited access to power, with a pay-per-use battery sharing service that is affordable to all, ensuring homes, electric vehicles and small businesses can connect with clean energy.

Now the sustainable energy firm has secured funding from British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, allowing it to ramp up expansion of its battery rental business in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is a key growth market.

Mopo launched its operations in Democratic Republic of the Congo in the second quarter of last year and already operates across six cities. The financing from BII’s Climate Innovation Facility will help the company to treble its service capacity in the republic within the next 12 months, while also reaching over a million people. Mopo wants to revolutionise access to sustainable energy for households and businesses in urban and rural communities in Africa by offering two types of battery rentals, a compact one for lighting, phone charging, and powering DC appliances, and a larger battery designed to power larger 230V appliances, replacing petrol generators.

CEO Chris Longbottom said: “We are delighted to collaborate with BII, which has acknowledged the significance of our innovative pay-per-use battery rental model. At Mopo, our mission is to create a high-impact, sustainable solution that empowers households and small busine