info [at] nonfiction.design
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Jaza is building the future of reliable energy in Africa.
Nigeria has unreliable and disconnected energy infrastructure. Rural villages can experience power outages for 30 days consecutively. The only alternative to the grid is expensive and polluting diesel generators.
Jaza is harnessing energy from the sun and creating an ecosystem of solar Hubs and low-cost, rechargeable batteries for rural communities. For a small weekly fee, a villager can rent and recharge a portable battery as many times as they need.
Villagers can charge lights, cell phones, portable fans, and POS (point of sale) terminals that are the lifeblood of small business transactions. Some shop owners use the batteries to charge customer phones as a value added service. Access to reliable energy means access to information, education, entertainment, health, and safety.
Each hub generates enough energy to power hundreds of homes. Because the hubs are easily deployed at a moments notice, Jaza is able to adapt to the community as it grows. This makes every hub an important member of the community.
Behavior, culture and context drive the hub design.
We designed the building envelope to breathe through the windows, dutch door, and building soffit. This cools both the equipment and people. The customer interaction and battery charging circulates counterclockwise through the hub. This keeps everything organized and efficient. In Nigeria, it's common for mothers to bring their babies to work. With this in mind, we created an unused space in the center of the hexagon for such occasions.
As little assembly required as possible.
The hubs are flat-packed, transported on rough terrain, and assembled on-site in a single day without power tools. For these critical areas we needed to consult the pros. We reached out to our long time collaborators at DNM Architecture. The DNM team refined the structural and flat packing assembly while devising an ingenious method to quickly adjust the foundation on site. These types of revisions are where design, engineering and ethnographic research really pay off. The hub is all inclusive, meaning the builder doesn't have to bring special tools or hardware. It's smart, easy and designed for rapid deployment.
Keeping manufacturing and materials local.
We insisted on manufacturing in Africa. The raw materials come from Africa, so why should we ship them across continents to be processed and sell them back for a higher price in Africa? Why should we depend on foreign jobs and skills when we could train manufacturers and operations specialists to do it locally? In addition to local talent, we are using locally recycled wood and other hardware components.
Low-cost, reliable energy promotes education, commerce, health, ecology, and gender equality.
This portable approach to energy leap-frogs transmission lines and wired infrastructure. Every hour of light provided by Jaza displaces kerosene and diesel, which are commonly used for lighting and powering backup generators. It builds a more resilient and autonomous community.
100% of Jaza operations are run by women called Jaza Stars.
The look and feel of Jaza is centered around the theme of beehives. The Hubs have become an essential source of energy for the community. Young women are taught customer service skills and tools to optimize their hub's performance. These women are called Jaza Stars, the most important part of the Jaza ecosystem, just like queen bees in a hive. Jaza Stars are paid a decent income and commission, bringing financial independence and dignity where options are typically limited for them.
Inspired by contemporary Nigerian textile patterns.
The Jaza brand identity is vibrant and somehow familiar. It draws from shapes and characteristics commonly found in Nigeria. The battery patterns are inspired by contemporary textiles.
We wanted to capture the energy of the company and the country in the logo mark. It was important to convey a sense of strength and authenticity in its letterforms. The double crossbar in the letter "A" creates a sense of structural integrity, while the font speaks to a sense of craftsmanship found throughout the country.
What we've learned.
We are strong believers in ethnographic research and immersion. While working with Jaza, we did video calls with Jaza Stars in Africa to understand their pain points. We spent a month in Nigeria to better understand the culture, the climate and challenges they face. This included working directly with the manufacturers, the larger Jaza operations team.
The tolerances, standards and level of execution in Africa are quite different from our experiences in southeast Asia. But with good communication, short prototyping cycles, and exposure to real-world situations (wind, rain, people, culture), the Jaza team was able to launch the first of 500 Jaza Hubs in record time.
Jaza is building the future of reliable energy in Africa.
Nigeria has unreliable and disconnected energy infrastructure. Rural villages can experience power outages for 30 days consecutively. The only alternative to the grid is expensive and polluting diesel generators.
Jaza is harnessing energy from the sun and creating an ecosystem of solar Hubs and low-cost, rechargeable batteries for rural communities. For a small weekly fee, a villager can rent and recharge a portable battery as many times as they need.
Villagers can charge lights, cell phones, portable fans, and POS (point of sale) terminals that are the lifeblood of small business transactions. Some shop owners use the batteries to charge customer phones as a value added service. Access to reliable energy means access to information, education, entertainment, health, and safety.
Each hub generates enough energy to power hundreds of homes. Because the hubs are easily deployed at a moments notice, Jaza is able to adapt to the community as it grows. This makes every hub an important member of the community.
Behavior, culture and context drive the hub design.
We designed the building envelope to breathe through the windows, dutch door, and building soffit. This cools both the equipment and people. The customer interaction and battery charging circulates counterclockwise through the hub. This keeps everything organized and efficient. In Nigeria, it's common for mothers to bring their babies to work. With this in mind, we created an unused space in the center of the hexagon for such occasions.
As little assembly required as possible.
The hubs are flat-packed, transported on rough terrain, and assembled on-site in a single day without power tools. For these critical areas we needed to consult the pros. We reached out to our long time collaborators at DNM Architecture. The DNM team refined the structural and flat packing assembly while devising an ingenious method to quickly adjust the foundation on site. These types of revisions are where design, engineering and ethnographic research really pay off. The hub is all inclusive, meaning the builder doesn't have to bring special tools or hardware. It's smart, easy and designed for rapid deployment.
Keeping manufacturing and materials local.
We insisted on manufacturing in Africa. The raw materials come from Africa, so why should we ship them across continents to be processed and sell them back for a higher price in Africa? Why should we depend on foreign jobs and skills when we could train manufacturers and operations specialists to do it locally? In addition to local talent, we are using locally recycled wood and other hardware components.
Low-cost, reliable energy promotes education, commerce, health, ecology, and gender equality.
This portable approach to energy leap-frogs transmission lines and wired infrastructure. Every hour of light provided by Jaza displaces kerosene and diesel, which are commonly used for lighting and powering backup generators. It builds a more resilient and autonomous community.
100% of Jaza operations are run by women called Jaza Stars.
The look and feel of Jaza is centered around the theme of beehives. The Hubs have become an essential source of energy for the community. Young women are taught customer service skills and tools to optimize their hub's performance. These women are called Jaza Stars, the most important part of the Jaza ecosystem, just like queen bees in a hive. Jaza Stars are paid a decent income and commission, bringing financial independence and dignity where options are typically limited for them.
Inspired by contemporary Nigerian textile patterns.
The Jaza brand identity is vibrant and somehow familiar. It draws from shapes and characteristics commonly found in Nigeria. The battery patterns are inspired by contemporary textiles.
We wanted to capture the energy of the company and the country in the logo mark. It was important to convey a sense of strength and authenticity in its letterforms. The double crossbar in the letter "A" creates a sense of structural integrity, while the font speaks to a sense of craftsmanship found throughout the country.
What we've learned.
We are strong believers in ethnographic research and immersion. While working with Jaza, we did video calls with Jaza Stars in Africa to understand their pain points. We spent a month in Nigeria to better understand the culture, the climate and challenges they face. This included working directly with the manufacturers, the larger Jaza operations team.
The tolerances, standards and level of execution in Africa are quite different from our experiences in southeast Asia. But with good communication, short prototyping cycles, and exposure to real-world situations (wind, rain, people, culture), the Jaza team was able to launch the first of 500 Jaza Hubs in record time.
