This initiative is now actively reshaping energy access and community development across Africa. AGES is proud to share Dr. Patrick’s remarkable trajectory, highlighting the significant progress made and the summit’s role in accelerating this impactful work.
Dr. Patrick’s appearance at AGES 2024 proved to be a defining moment. His presentation, which touched upon an innovative drone concept for energy delivery, positioned him among the rst of the cohort and provided invaluable exposure. The summit offered a crucial platform for him to articulate his ideas and, more importantly, to forge essential connections.
The networking opportunities at AGES 2024 were transformative. Dr. Patrick connected with key players in the green energy and development sectors, including representatives from the Milken Institute, Standard Bank in South Africa, and Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA). These initial introductions quickly blossomed into deeper relationships, notably with EDP (Portugal’s A2E Energy Access program), which proved instrumental in attracting the funding necessary to move from concept to implementation.
Following the momentum from AGES 2024, the SO COOL concept underwent a significant evolution. What began as a focused product soon spun off into its own independent company, with Dr. Patrick at the helm. His vision broadened considerably, reframing the initial pitch around a more holistic “Net Zero Village” concept designed to solve energy access problems on a community-wide scale.
The first tangible outcome of this reframed vision was the completion of the inaugural Net Zero Village in 2024. This pioneering project now serves a community of approximately 60,000 people. Within this village, a diverse ecosystem of solutions was deployed: battery swapping stations allow residents to easily rent pre-charged power for their home appliances, electric vehicles provide sustainable transport options, and a network of mini-grids and micro-grids delivers reliable electricity to homes and businesses.
Our Net Zero Village model brings together multiple proven technologies,” Dr. Patrick states. “This encompasses battery swapping stations, which allow users to effortlessly power their appliances, as well as integrated electric vehicle charging, mini-grids, and micro-grids, all working in concert.”
The success and proven model of the first Net Zero Village swiftly paved the way for expansion. Dr. Patrick’s team is now in the advanced stages of building a second Net Zero Village, an even more ambitious undertaking designed to serve a population of 200,000 people. This new development will feature a massive 1 MW battery rental facility – an infrastructure ten times the size of a typical petrol station, housing approximately 200 battery cabinets. Crucially, this hub will be grid-connected, meaning any excess power not used for charging batteries can be fed back into the existing grid infrastructure. This second village alone represents an investment of around $4 million, with funding secured through collaborations including Innovate UK and the Eagent facility.
The company’s strategic growth reflects a transition into what Dr. Patrick terms an “energy enabler ecosystem.” This signifies a comprehensive approach that not only deploys technology but also supports new technology developers, advises governments on effective energy access strategies, and provides essential engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) as well as operations and maintenance (O&M) services to commercial and industrial customers.
“We are evolving our brand to reflect our role as an energy ecosystem enabler,” Dr. Patrick states. “This involves supporting developers in pioneering new technologies and collaborating with governments to advance innovative approaches to energy access.”
A cornerstone of this ecosystem is PAM AI, a proprietary software innovation developed by Dr. Patrick’s team. PAM AI enables dynamic tariffs, adjusting electricity costs based on the affordability criteria of individual customers. This sophisticated approach directly tackles one of Africa’s most pressing challenges: making electricity truly accessible and affordable. This AI integration was supported by a €300,000 grant from the AFD’s Digital Energy Facility.
Beyond pricing, PAM AI plays a crucial role in operational efficiency, especially in remote areas. By intelligently managing assets across distributed locations, it creates localised support hubs. “If you have any problem with any assets within our location or have an issue, you can actually approach one of the so-called boxes and then get support services rather than going all the way to the major city,” Dr. Patrick explains, highlighting how this system drastically improves service and reduces downtime in remote communities where infrastructure is often lacking.
Since his initial pitch at AGES 2024, where he presented a concept with just five “boxes,” Dr. Patrick’s initiative has grown exponentially, now encompassing over 250 units and serving approximately 60,000 customers. With the second Net Zero Village targeting 200,000 people, the growth trajectory is clear. The ultimate goal is to replicate the Net Zero Village model across Nigeria and beyond into other African countries, demonstrating its scalability and impact.
“The strategic advantage lies in their design as small, modular power plants,” Dr. Patrick states, highlighting the model’s capacity for widespread replication. He projects the second Net Zero Village will achieve full operational status by 2027.
Dr. Patrick’s journey with SO COOL and the Net Zero Village stands as a powerful testament to the impact of innovation, strategic partnerships, and the vital role platforms like AGES play in fostering Africa’s green transformation.
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