Kenyan businesses insulate themselves from power outages with hybrid backup system

As businesses continue to record massive losses to power outages, now stretching to billions which has also been cited as one of investors' greatest concern, a new hybrid inverter that acts as power back up has insulated businesses from losses as technology evolves to circumvent blackouts. Various reports indicate that Kenyan businesses experience up to 7 black outs every month with some lasting upto 12 hours.

 Electricity is listed as the fourth biggest business constraint by 11.5 per cent of Kenyan organisations stating that frequent blackouts compromised their productivity according to the World Bank Enterprise Survey of Business Managers.

The statistics are worse in many other manufacturing companies that heavily rely on electricity to run their businesses. The Kenya Association of Manufacturers in late 2012 raised concerns over the frequent black outs that are costing manufacturers millions of shillings while resulting in productions. Sabahi.com reported that a number of companies ten kilometres outside Nairobi, incurred an estimated loss of $240,000 in April 2012 due to power outages, which lasted for three consecutive days as they were forced to use stand-by generators which are more expensive to run.

 But a new inverter that can be tailor made to fit the needs of businesses has been in the offing even as the country seeks better ways of reducing power failure

The inverter, a rectangular shaped gadget the size of the old school video player comes with it batteries and connections that are linked to the power grid. The inverter has a graphical display on the front that shows when it’s charging and hours as they reduce when power goes off. The inverter has an inbuilt Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) that helps it undertake this useful function.

Hussein Kamal, the Director Setlak Power Solutions who is based in the coastal town Mombasa affirmed that “this is a good supplement to KPLC that can be used for both domestic and commercial purposes to better suit the requirements of a client. It is also environmental friendly as it does not release any fumes like generators, convenient as it is automatic as soon as power go off and cost effective.”

The inverter is a onetime installment which can last for years as perhaps the battery only will need to be changed after about four to five years. It does not require any servicing except in circumstances where the user overloads it and hence reduce the time it can be useful.

Hussein added that “it uses trickle charging, mild current just like how a car battery chargers when on commotion hence it does not in the process consume a lot of power when being charged.”

 If a customer wants it, the supplier first conducts a free survey to determine the consumption levels which would indicate the costs that would be incurred. Ideally, a household that has a fridge, television, computer and energy saving bulbs would have a cumulative of 870 watts and this would need two batteries minimum.

The amount of watts or load being used determines the number of batteries to be bought which in turn determine the price. The total adds up to $400. Mohamed stated that they also conduct the installation and supply of the inverters and battery hence the minimum cost would be $400

 The battery being used is different from the car battery which produces lead oxide and if used in the house leads to inhalation of this toxic gas. The inverter battery is completely sealed hence no such gas or any other gaseous material or even noise is emitted from it which makes it a safe product for the household.

The package for the inverter comes with a one year warranty in case of any issues. The warranty covers any maintenance or faults in that year.

The inverters are imported from either India or China. Many clients prefer the India one since they are ISO certified, which comes with a guarantee and a client can trace the manufacturing company and processes therein online. Availability of cheaper and ineffective inverters from China is the challenge the company faces.

Currently the demand for domestic inverters can be supplied immediately upon request. For large scale demand, it would take some time as they would come to survey the usage to determine the load first, and then make arrangements to import.