SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

PowerUp has completed a battery-swapping energy pilot in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, backed by the UK’s Ayrton Fund.

The Doncaster-based start-up used its Battery Energy Distribution System to deliver electricity by transporting charged batteries to end users and returning depleted units for recharging.

The pilot was part of ZEBRAS, or Zero-carbon Energy Battery Resource-as-a-Service, one of six international demonstrator projects supported by more than £4.85 million in Ayrton Fund backing from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Under the model, batteries are charged at renewable energy hubs, loaded onto electric delivery vehicles and taken directly to homes, communities and businesses without dependable access to grid electricity. They are then swapped out and returned for recharging, creating what PowerUp described as a closed-loop service.

How It Works

The demonstration combined swappable lithium-ion batteries, renewable charging infrastructure, electric vehicles and an AI-based monitoring platform. The project was led by MEP Technologies and involved Nevadic, The Washing Machine Project, Skrum and PowerUp.

The initiative targets areas where diesel and petrol generators still fill gaps left by weak or absent electricity networks. These generators remain widely used across emerging economies despite fuel costs, air pollution and maintenance demands.

According to figures cited by PowerUp, around 1.5 billion people globally do not have reliable access to electricity. More than 25 million fossil fuel generators also remain in operation across emerging markets.

The Port Harcourt deployment offers an example of an alternative model in which electricity is moved physically rather than through fixed wires. The approach could appeal in remote areas, on constrained networks and in places where extending conventional grid infrastructure is too costly or too slow.

UK Backing

The project also reflects UK government support for clean energy systems that can be deployed outside Britain. The Ayrton Fund brings together official development assistance spending on clean energy research, development and demonstration across several government departments.

Founded in 2021, PowerUp focuses on off-grid energy delivery. It uses commercially available technology to move electricity from places where it can be generated and stored to places where supply is limited.

Its work to date has focused on construction sites, infrastructure operators and industrial users facing grid constraints, but the Nigeria pilot shows broader potential for community energy access.

David Collinson, Co-founder of PowerUp Off-Grid Services, said the project was designed to show that energy does not have to remain fixed to where it is generated.

He said: “The Ayrton Fund has enabled this project to demonstrate that energy does not have to remain fixed to where it is generated. By physically moving stored clean energy to where it is needed most, we can help support communities and businesses that cannot rely on traditional grid infrastructure. For decades, fuel has been physically delivered to places pipelines and wires cannot reach. We believe clean electricity must now do the same.”

The broader ZE-Gen programme is designed to test practical routes for reducing dependence on fossil fuel generation in underserved regions. The Nigeria demonstrator adds to evidence for battery-swapping systems as a possible way to supply power where conventional grid expansion is difficult.

Lily Beadle, Programme Director, ZE-Gen, said: “ZEBRAS highlights the strength of UK clean energy innovation and international collaboration, with British companies creating collaborative international partnerships to develop practical, scalable solutions that address real-world energy challenges while supporting the global transition to affordable, reliable and modern energy.”

Westcoast has become an official Intel Processor Distribution Partner, expanding the UK distributor’s existing relationship with Intel.

Under the agreement, Westcoast will distribute Intel Core Ultra processors, including desktop chips in the Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus Series. The range available through its channel includes the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, Intel Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus and Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.

The move adds processors to Westcoast’s broader Intel offering, giving resellers, system builders and integrators a single source for Intel-based PC components and systems. It also comes as demand rises for PCs designed for artificial intelligence workloads.

Westcoast already works with Intel across devices and technology products. Adding processor distribution widens its components line-up as it looks to serve partners involved in custom PC builds, upgrades and systems aimed at business users, creators and gamers.

Partners sourcing Intel processors through Westcoast will also be able to use its logistics, finance and supply chain services, which are intended to help channel partners manage fulfilment and respond to customer demand.

Mike Botto, Components Director, Westcoast, said: “Westcoast has worked closely with Intel across devices and technology solutions for many years, and the introduction of Intel processor distribution marks an important expansion of that relationship. By bringing Intel Core Ultra processors into our components portfolio, we’re giving resellers, system builders and integrators a simpler way to source complete Intel-powered solutions through one trusted distribution partner.”

Channel route

The agreement gives Intel another distribution route into the UK channel for its latest desktop processor range. For Westcoast, it strengthens a business that supplies hardware, software and services to partners across the market.

Westcoast is part of ALSO Holding, which describes itself as Europe’s largest technology provider. The parent group says it operates in 31 European countries and reaches additional markets through platform-as-a-service partners, with access to more than 140,000 resellers and products from more than 800 vendors.

That scale matters in a distribution market where vendors are seeking broader reach while resellers want fewer suppliers and simpler procurement. Adding processors to an existing vendor relationship can help distributors package more of a build through one account, particularly as buyers refresh fleets and consider newer PC specifications.

Intel described the appointment as a way to widen channel access to its latest Core Ultra processor line. The chipmaker has been pushing Core Ultra as part of a broader PC refresh cycle tied to AI features and updated performance requirements.

Luke Atkins, UK Distribution Business Manager, Intel, said: “Westcoast’s appointment as an official Intel Processor Distribution Partner gives the UK channel another strong route to access the latest Intel Core Ultra processor technology. Together, Intel and Westcoast are helping partners build high-performance, AI-ready systems that meet the needs of modern businesses, creators and gamers.”

Portfolio shift

The addition of processors also reflects how distributors are adjusting their portfolios as channel partners ask for more complete product stacks. Rather than sourcing separate elements of a PC build from different wholesalers, resellers can increasingly combine devices, components and related services through a smaller number of suppliers.

For Westcoast, the agreement deepens an established vendor relationship while giving it a larger role in the components segment. The move also opens up opportunities around custom builds, upgrade projects and desktop systems intended for more demanding workloads.

Westcoast supplies a wide range of technology products and services in the UK market, while ALSO’s wider business spans hardware, software, cloud subscriptions and digital platforms in areas including cybersecurity, virtualisation and artificial intelligence. The parent group’s main shareholder is Droege Group, an investment and consulting firm operating in 30 countries.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has invited comments on Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, prompting formal submissions from industry stakeholders including the Browser Choice Alliance.

The regulator is examining Microsoft’s position across business software, with browsers emerging as a central issue. Published submissions argue that browsers are a key route to internet services and web-based workplace tools, making their treatment within Windows and related Microsoft products significant for competition.

One of the first published responses came from the Browser Choice Alliance, a coalition of browser providers seeking regulatory action on browser choice. Its submission argues that Microsoft uses its position in operating systems and productivity software to steer users toward its own browser.

“The BCA believes that this investigation is an important first step towards ensuring free and fair competition within Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, including between browsers, which are the key gateway for PC users to access the internet and web-based services,” said the Browser Choice Alliance.

The group also alleges that Microsoft’s conduct affects competition beyond browser downloads. It argues that distribution arrangements and design choices within Microsoft’s software environment can shape which services users adopt for work, including newer AI tools.

“Microsoft leverages [its] market power to hinder merit-based competition, user choice and innovation in the UK. Instead of competing on features and innovation, Microsoft relies on portfolio-wide distribution channel exclusivity and various anti-competitive steering practices to force the use of its own browser and thus undermine effective choice,” said the Alliance.

Browser focus

The submission emphasises the role of Windows PCs in office work and the overlap between personal and business use. That matters because the CMA’s inquiry focuses on business software, while many browser habits and software choices are formed across devices used for both work and personal tasks.

According to the Alliance, the distinction between consumer and professional use is often blurred. Employees may use one Windows device for both workplace productivity and personal browsing, making default settings and prompts more influential over time.

“The practical reality is that consumer and business use cases frequently overlap, making it difficult to draw a sharp distinction between them. There is often no clear-cut boundary between personal/work devices and personal/work use. A given Windows device may be used for both personal and professional activities,” said the Alliance.

Windows shift

The filing also points to the migration from Windows 10 to Windows 11 as a relevant market development. The Alliance argues that as organisations move to newer versions of Windows, Microsoft has another opportunity to shape defaults and influence browser adoption in workplaces.

It adds that the regulator is right to pay close attention to Windows 11 because of its role as Microsoft’s main operating system in the UK business market. Changes in operating system versions can affect how browser choice screens, prompts and settings are presented to users.

“The CMA is right to focus on Windows 11 as Microsoft’s “main operating system in the UK”. In October 2025, Microsoft ended support for Windows 10. Organisations and their users are therefore migrating to Windows 11 – a one-way and irreversible upgrade that is incentivised by the deprecation of support for Windows 10,” said the Alliance.

AI implications

The submission links browser competition to the wider contest over AI assistants, productivity services and research tools. It reflects a broader industry view that browsers are no longer just access points for websites, but gateways to workplace software and AI products delivered through the web.

The Alliance argues that the importance of PCs is growing as companies adopt generative AI for document work, coding and research. In that context, control over browser distribution could influence which AI products users encounter first and which tools become embedded in daily workflows.

“The importance of Windows PCs is only increasing in the age of generative AI. Key generative AI use cases include productivity, deep research and coding. These tasks are all especially well-suited to being carried out on PCs,” said the Alliance.

The filing also warns that competitive concerns in browsers could extend into AI if Microsoft applies similar methods to promote its own services. It argues that companies should be able to choose AI tools independently, rather than through prompts or defaults tied to Microsoft’s wider software estate.

“… organisations and their users should be free to choose the AI tools that they want, not have to make do with the solution imposed by Microsoft. But, absent intervention, the BCA is concerned that Microsoft will deploy its tried-and-tested browser dark pattern tactics to similarly distort competition and user choice in the AI space,” said the Alliance.

The Alliance concludes that browser competition has direct consequences for business users, developers and software markets linked to the browser. “Microsoft’s tactics leverage its dominant Windows OS and M365 productivity software suite to frustrate users’ choice of browsers, thereby damaging the user experience and lowering productivity for millions of businesses in the UK. This undermines the efforts of many differentiated, innovative browser developers to compete and reach new audiences…” said the Alliance.