NextGen Nano plans GBP £300 million West Africa pilot

NextGen Nano plans to launch a £300 million global agrivoltaics development programme, starting with a pilot project in West Africa.

The London-based company’s first scheme will use its transparent organic solar film, PolyPower, in greenhouse and tunnel structures that combine crop production with on-site electricity generation.

The pilot is aimed at areas where power supplies are limited, expensive or unreliable. It will test whether the system can support climate-controlled agriculture while also providing electricity for cooling, refrigeration and broader local energy needs.

A key part of the trial will focus on growing nutrient-dense crops, including amaranth, African nightshade, cowpea leaves, spider plant, moringa and kale. NextGen Nano aims to assess whether the greenhouse model can provide more reliable growing conditions for produce that contributes to vitamin A and iron intake.

The company will also examine whether the same systems could support medical cold-chain infrastructure, including the storage of vaccines, medicines and other temperature-sensitive supplies in clinics, health posts and community facilities.

Demand Drivers

NextGen Nano is targeting up to £300 million of project deployment over the next five years through partnerships with governments, development banks, agricultural groups and private investors.

It said the plan is supported by wider market conditions, citing World Bank projections that Africa’s food and agribusiness market could reach USD $1 trillion by 2030, while nearly 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to electricity.

Those conditions have increased interest in systems that address both agricultural output and energy access. In many rural areas, diesel generators remain a common backup power source, increasing costs and supply risks for food storage and other essential services.

For NextGen Nano, the West Africa pilot will serve as an early test of whether agrivoltaic greenhouses can become a repeatable infrastructure model in off-grid and energy-constrained markets. The initiative is being developed with regional partners and a European applied solar energy research institution.

Health Focus

Beyond food production, the project also has a public health focus. NextGen Nano will assess whether more dependable cultivation of leafy vegetables could improve dietary diversity and reduce nutrition-related health burdens, particularly among children.

The targeted crops are valued for their contribution to vitamin A and iron intake. The company noted that the World Health Organisation identifies vitamin A deficiency as a leading preventable cause of childhood blindness and says iron deficiency is the most common nutritional cause of anaemia.

The pilot also has an economic dimension and is expected to support local employment, skills development and more resilient energy access in underserved regions.

NextGen Nano develops transparent organic solar and display technologies. In this case, it is applying its solar film to agricultural structures so electricity can be generated on the same footprint as protected crop production.

Dr Sagar Jain, Head of Strategic Partnerships at NextGen Nano, said: “This initiative demonstrates how cutting-edge European and US technologies can directly contribute to raising living standards in underserved regions. By combining advanced transparent organic solar materials with climate-controlled agriculture and energy systems, we believe agrivoltaic platforms like this can unlock entirely new deployment models for sustainable development worldwide.”