bPOWERd Expands Into Nigeria With Solar Battery Rental Service

STARTUP VENTURE CAPITALMay 28, 2026 at 3:22 PM UTC

TLDR

bPOWERd, a clean energy tech startup by bp, expands into Nigeria, offering solar battery rental services for homes and small businesses in Lagos.
The service, available at 7 sites in Lagos through a partnership with Mobil service stations, aims to address the increasing demand for off-grid power due to rising fuel and electricity costs.
Users can rent 300-watt-hour and 1,000-watt-hour batteries, powering LED lights, fans, TVs, and charging devices, after completing know-your-customer checks and paying a refundable deposit.

bPOWERd has expanded into Nigeria with a solar battery rental service for homes and small businesses in Lagos, as rising fuel and electricity costs push more users toward off-grid power.

The clean energy tech startup, developed by bp, is launching across 7 sites in Lagos through a partnership with Mobil service stations. The stations will act as battery swapping and charging hubs, allowing users to pick up charged batteries and return drained units.

The service targets small businesses and households affected by unstable grid supply and generator costs. Users must complete know-your-customer checks with their National Identification Number and pay a refundable ₦15,000 deposit before receiving a battery.

bPOWERd offers 2 battery sizes. The 300-watt-hour unit rents for ₦1,500 a day, while the 1,000-watt-hour unit rents for ₦3,000. The company said the batteries can power LED lights, fans, televisions and charge phones and other devices.

The rollout follows bPOWERd’s launch in South Africa in 2025, where the company said it completed 125,000 rentals in its first 12 months. Managing Director Jonathan Lule said the Nigerian service gives small businesses and households access to pay-per-use power during a period of grid instability. Oluwole Ogidan, head of bp Global West Africa, said the rollout will also support local jobs through sales roles and partnerships with Nigerian solar technicians.

Key Takeaways

bPOWERd’s launch in Lagos shows how Nigeria’s power crisis is creating room for rental-based energy models. Many households and small businesses cannot afford full solar systems, inverters or large battery installations. They also face high fuel costs when they rely on petrol or diesel generators. A daily battery rental model lowers the entry cost because users pay for power when they need it, instead of buying the full system upfront. The use of Mobil service stations is also important because battery rental depends on physical access, charging points and trust. Nigeria’s solar market is growing, but solar still accounts for only 1.5% of the country’s energy mix, according to the Africa Solar Outlook 2026 report. That leaves a large gap for portable energy products, especially in dense cities such as Lagos. The challenge will be unit economics. bPOWERd must manage battery losses, charging costs, maintenance, deposit recovery and customer education. If the model works, it could serve kiosks, salons, food vendors, homes and small offices that need basic power without generator fuel.

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