Second-Life Batteries: How Acele Africa Is Turning Battery Waste into Power

 By Evans Mutinda

An innovative Kenyan battery technology company is turning discarded lithium-ion batteries into energy storage systems, offering a potential solution to Africa’s electricity access challenges while addressing the growing problem of battery waste.
John Mungai, Chief Executive Officer of Acele Africa, says the company was founded around a simple question: how can Africa’s electricity deficit and growing battery waste be tackled at the same time?
“Africa has 660 million people who still lack access to electricity, while battery waste continues to pile up,” John Mungai said.
Acele Africa designs, assembles and repurposes lithium-ion batteries that would otherwise be considered waste. Through its technology, the company tests and validates used battery packs before redeploying them as energy storage systems.
The systems can provide power to homes and businesses and support light electric mobility.
John Mungai said the technology is already creating an impact across different sectors, particularly in rural areas.
For farmers who depend on rainfall, the systems can power DC water pumps, allowing them to draw water from wells or nearby streams for irrigation.
Health facilities facing frequent power interruptions can also use the storage systems as backup power, helping them maintain essential services during outages.
At household level, smaller battery systems can keep devices such as routers, laptops and mobile phones running when electricity from the grid is interrupted.
The company is targeting customers ranging from smallholder farmers in rural Kenya to small and medium-sized enterprises operating in urban industrial areas.
Building Trust in Second-Life Batteries
John Mungai said the company initially faced a major challenge in convincing consumers to embrace second-life batteries.
“When we started, the business was quite tough because people did not trust a second-life battery pack,” he said.
Many consumers viewed refurbished batteries as inferior or unreliable products. However, the company says continued deployment and testing of its technology have helped change perceptions.
Over the past three years, Acele Africa has witnessed growing market acceptance of its products as customers gain confidence in the performance of repurposed batteries.
Creating Jobs Through Battery Engineering
Beyond providing energy solutions, the company is also seeking to develop a new generation of battery specialists.
John Mungai said battery engineering remains a relatively uncommon skill in Kenya and across Africa, prompting AceleAfrica to develop training programmes for electrical, mechanical and mechatronics engineers.
Through its training manuals and programmes, the company aims to equip engineers with specialised battery engineering skills.
Acele Africa is also exploring partnerships with universities and vocational training institutions to help develop the skills required for Africa’s emerging energy sector.
“Energy is what will power Africa’s future, and we have to ensure that young people have the right skills to get employed,” John Mungai said.
Backup Against Power Outages
The company’s technology could also provide an alternative source of backup power as Kenya continues to experience occasional electricity interruptions.
John Mungai said Acele Africa’s systems are not intended to compete with Kenya Power but rather to complement the national electricity grid.
“Power outages result from grid instability and weak grids,” he said, adding that backup storage allows households and businesses to continue operating while waiting for grid electricity to return.
AI-Powered Remote Monitoring
The company has incorporated artificial intelligence into its systems, allowing users to monitor and control their batteries remotely.
A customer in Nairobi, for example, can monitor a backup system installed at a rural home hundreds of kilometres away.
The technology also allows Sele Africa to remotely monitor battery performance and identify potential maintenance requirements.
According to John Mungai, the system can alert users when a battery may require repairs, maintenance or replacement.
Policy and Standards Remain a Challenge
Despite the growing demand for energy storage, John Mungai says the company faces regulatory challenges because the second-life battery sector is still developing.
He said the absence of specific policies governing the industry can sometimes create friction between innovators and regulators.
Another major challenge is the lack of clear national standards for validating second-life batteries.
Sele Africa is pushing for the development of standards that would establish clear requirements for testing and certifying repurposed batteries.
John Mungai said such standards would help create confidence in the industry and allow companies to safely repurpose batteries across the country.
“If the standards are in place, it does not matter where you are repurposing a battery from. As long as the standard exists, we are able to build batteries not only from Nairobi, but across the country,” he said.
For Acele Africa, the goal is to transform what was once considered waste into a new source of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy while building the technical skills needed to power Africa’s energy transition.