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IMPHORAA Project Q&A: Nicolas Saincy

Wed, 01 February, 2023

Nicolas Saincy is a French electrical engineer who co-founded Nanoé Madagascar following 10 years’ experience as a consultant in the African energy sector. He is now the CEO of Nanoé and is responsible for overseeing their finance, partnerships and new project development.

We took some time to talk to Nicolas about his involvement in the IMPHORAA project, its benefits and how the project is progressing.

How are you involved in the IMPHORAA project?

I am the project manager from Nanoé’s side. I am coordinating Nanoé’s R&D team, developing hardware and software solutions dedicated to energy access that will be deployed in both Madagascar and the Philippines as part of the project.

Why do you think this project is important?

This project is important because it will improve the living conditions of hundreds of people living in remote areas of Madagascar and the Philippines, and because it will demonstrate the feasibility of transferring energy access technologies from one African country to an Asian country.

Why is solar power seen as the solution for providing electrification – as opposed to other possible solutions?

Solar is the cheapest solutions for small-scale energy systems. It is easy to install and operate but, most importantly, it is highly replicable because the sun is shining everywhere on the planet!

That is why solar power is more and more seen as the solution for rural electrification.

How is the project progressing and what is next in the plans for IMPHORAA?

The project is progressing as planned. The development of the project’s technological innovations are almost completed and the deployment of the pilot installations should start in Madagascar and the Philippines in April 2023.

Nanoé has already created 150 jobs and installed 1,500 nanogrids, reaching around 300 villages and positively impacting the lives of around 30,000 people. However, by 2025, these figures are set to increase to create 500 jobs with the installation of 10,000 nanogrids, reaching some 1,000 villages and around 200,000 people in both Madagascar and The Philippines.

This project is supported by Energy Catalyst and UK aid and was awarded as a “subsidy” under the UK International Obligations for Subsidy Control and delivered under Grant 90935 from Innovate UK.