Spotted in Cape Town this week with a few other Holocene portfolio companies
🚀 Key Research
Introducing The Intelligence Layer
Read our SAEEC Conference paper showcasing our work with LTM Energy bringing AI into distributed energy resource management
We have also presented a briefing to South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission outlining the country’s need for a unified body to manage AI for critical energy infrastructure
One of the biggest concerns we are seeing emerging from our research and COP30 engagements is a growing disconnect between political solutions proposed by climate activists in Europe and the political realities/mandates constraining democratically elected leaders across the West and the entire world. From an AI perspective, even, data sovereignty is a greater driver of dollars and votes than ecological protection. Stay tuned for the model we proposed for the G20 and B20 events we will participate in this weekend and next week in Johannesburg.
🦄 Asoba Events
On the Ground: G20/SA Climate Summit
Shingai Samudzi will be attending the G20/SA Climate Summit in Johannesburg, an event that plays a defining role in shaping global economic and climate priorities. The role of the G20 in creating the foundation for global economic stability cannot be overstated. As one of the world’s most influential platforms, it serves as a vital catalyst for economic development and a driver of global commitments such as the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030)—frameworks that directly influence climate action, energy access, and sustainable growth across the continent.
If you’re planning to attend the summit as well, we hope to see you there. It’s a powerful opportunity to connect, exchange insights, and align on the innovations shaping Africa’s clean energy and climate future.
NBI’s South Africa Climate Summit
Shingai and Gertie will be representing Asoba in Johannesburg on November 24 and 25, showcasing the work we’ve done with both LTM Energy in the O&M space, as well as Sustainable Energy Africa, in using LLMs to make regulatory information more accessible to distributed energy developers. This event is part of the larger G20 ecosystem of events, coming immediately after the main session with heads of state on the 23rd.
🔥 AI, Energy and Geopolitics
Africa
In Egypt green tech firms are focusing on addressing daily household (ok, enterprise) issues, rather than trying to “save the planet”.
Lithium mining represents a new wave of meaningful, well paying economic opportunity for Ghanians - and government is listening.
Headline inflation declined year over year in Nigeria thanks to macroeconomic stability, including household electricity cost.
Americas
Bill Gates shares his three tough truths.
Electricity prices, and not counting carbon, has become the key potentially election winning point for the party that can provide viable alternatives.
FERC approves 13GW of gas powered generation, highlighting the reality that grid reliability > everything else.
Not to be one upped, Blackstone is investing $1.2B in a 600MW natural gas plant in West Virginia
Asia
Growth in India’s C&I storage fueled by pure, favorable market economics.
Even the IEA admits “energy security and affordability” are now “primary drivers” for Asian (and all) governments; carbon moved to secondary KPI.
“Osaka Gas and Sonnedix prepare Japan’s largest renewable-battery-storage facility– Grid balancing + cheaper peak power for factories is the main goal.
Europe
Coal-heavy LEAG pivots to giant batteries to balance lignite swings; press release sells grid-stability & arbitrage profits, not tonnes of CO₂ saved.
Spanish government press note brands €840 million allocation into a new 9 GWh scheme as “resilience and price-smoothing”.
TotalEnergies’ possible German BESS divestment ‘mainly about recycling capital’
🏆 Current Events From Asoba
Asoba at Business Speed Dating 2025
Last week, Asoba joined Business Speed Dating 2025, connecting with investors, corporates, and ecosystem builders in a series of high-impact meetings.
Our COO, Gertie Ogojiaku, shared how Asoba is using AI-powered distributed energy to shape Africa’s energy future.
Read more about our experience and key takeaways
New Partnership Opportunity: Repower & Recover Warranty
We’re proud to share that Asoba has been selected as a preferred vendor under Sunereum Labs’ Repower & Recover Warranty program, a service contract designed to help renewable energy asset owners recover from damage caused by covered perils.
Through this partnership, solar asset insurance customers can now use Asoba’s intelligent monitoring and data tracking tools to demonstrate compliance with maintenance best practices, helping to reduce insurance premiums and strengthen operational reliability.
Heard Around the World
“We live in a moment where there is a growing belief that algorithmic aggregation is more trustworthy than human-to-human insight,” [David Larsson] Heidenblad said. “The Silicon Valley mindset is very different from the traditional scholarly approach. Its knowledge culture is very iterative where making mistakes is a feature, not a bug. By contrast, the academic world is about building trust over time and scholarship over long periods during which the illusion that you know everything cracks. Those are real knowledge processes.”
Did You Know?
Great Britain’s electricity grid is physically the wrong shape for the renewable fleet it is forcing on the system—so every windy night it pays wind farms tens of millions NOT to generate while firing up distant gas plant to keep the lights on, a double-cost that now exceeds £0.5 B/yr and could hit £8 B/yr by 2030.
Till next time,