Karim el-Alami thinks big. Since finishing university two years ago, the young Moroccan engineer and a friend have developed software that uses artificial intelligence to manage renewable energy costs. Their company, Elum Energy, will start deploying the software in telecoms towers around Morocco this summer. They are considering exports and are in talks with operators in a number of countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
“My hope is to deploy our software in every solar storage [unit] that is launched in Africa in the next five years,” says Mr Alami.
He and his business partner, Cyril Colin, are well placed to succeed. They are part of a small band of entrepreneurs that has spotted an opportunity in a new but growing field of energy storage for renewables.