The Perfect Power Grid and the Future of Clean Energy ?

[Idilinaa]

As for disconnection fees or dirty tricks , those were probably issues nearly a decade ago, when regulation was weaker and grids were still transitioning.

Lastly, the video you’re citing is from 9 years ago, showing a single provider before BECO and others entered to install solar power and updated the networks. If you look at more recent evidence, you’ll see the picture is very different.

The same provider Mogadishu Power Supply that is featured in that old video not only modernized their systems, technological equipment but also now utilize Solar Energy:
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They have also updated their terms of services:
View attachment 370857

Here’s a video from 5 years ago where they explain how they are now saving money and providing cheaper electricity:

Another video that explains this transition as well:

At 1:10 a representative from BECO explains how they reformed the entire power system in Mogadishu more than a decade back, before that everything used to be low voltage, now they have 11Kv systems, 33Kv systems and subs stations just like any other city in the world.

At the @2:21 they explain how the cost burden has been lifted from many consumers , they now have access to cheaper, more reliable energy, the electricity is always on and they interviewed a business owner who said they now pay less than 20 cent for a more powerful supply: And another explains that they now can run all their machines much easier

 

[Barkhadle1520]

Somalis as a society are not inherently qabilist or tribalist. If that were true, we wouldn’t see such a sophisticated and efficient internet sector, a vibrant private sector driven economy, and a functioning financial system because they would require us to trust and cooperate with one another beyond our clan.

Fukuyama, in his book “Trust: Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity,” argued that the key to prosperity lies in a society’s ability to organize effectively for commercial purposes without relying on blood ties or government intervention.

This pretty much typifies how Somali society operates .

Trust: The driving force behind many Somali traders’ success

The phenomenal growth of Somali businesses in Kenya’s commercial towns and urban centres is an envy to any would-be entrepreneur or business person.

www.standardmedia.co.ke

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Fukuyama also explains that a low-trust society is essentially a tribal society.
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I realized when I looked at how other societies were organized, some were high trust like the Japanese, Germans, and Americans, while others were low-trust and actively required a centralized state to intervene, like in China, and Taiwan’s case. Otherwise, communities in those contexts wouldn’t be able to cooperate with each other at all. Many other African communities are also essentially tribal in nature and don’t trust anyone outside their family or tribal grouping, and without a strong government, cooperation breaks down. Most Africans neither trust eachother or their institutions.

Somalia’s problem isn’t a lack of trust, but rather an imbalance. We have high horizontal trust (between people, communities/clans/regions, and businesses) but low vertical trust (between people and political institutions).

If Somalis developed the same level of institutional trust that they already have at the social and business level, the country’s potential would take off like crazy. In our case, trust in political institutions really hinges on inclusion, transparency, and legitimacy, the greater these are, the higher the trust will be. Thats why i am really big on civic reform and strengthening local governance.


That’s not really accurate. Mobile internet is strong in Somalia, yes, but Wi-Fi isn’t “useless.” In fact, Wi-Fi is powered by the same 4G/5G backbone and fiber-optic infrastructure that telecoms like Hormuud, Somtel, and others have been rolling out. Many businesses, schools, offices, and homes use Wi-Fi connections for stability, especially where multiple devices are running.

It’s also worth noting that Somalia wasn’t just “nominated” it consistently ranks among the top countries in Africa for mobile internet speed and affordability, largely because of private sector investment and cable connectivity. People choosing to hotspot from their phones isn’t because Wi-Fi is “shit,” but because mobile bundles are cheap, reliable, and convenient.

Also, I have to remind y’all that Somalia didn’t start with mobile internet at all. Back in the early 2000s, after the first ISP was established in 1999, the country rapidly adopted Wi-Fi and other internet services at faster and cheaper rates compared to many places in Africa. By then, much of the country already had active internet usage with wireless internet, internet cafés everywhere, dial-up services, ADSL broadband and even satellite connections.
Even early GPRS mobile data was introduced before smartphones became common.

Somalia’s civil war hides steady growth of Internet Services

Despite continuing unrest, Somalia has taken the first tentative steps towards establishing a national government and AU peacekeepers have begun to arrive.

www.hiiraan.com

It actually surprised international observers at the time. So what we’re seeing today isn’t some brand new development brought/pioneered by only Dahabshil or Hormuud , it’s the continuation of a long trend where Somalia has been ahead of the curve in internet adoption.

Wifi is still shit, every stat i see online confirms this as well

List of countries by Internet connection speeds - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Barkhadle1520]

That’s not an accurate assessment of how Somalia’s electricity system works today. Mini decentralized grids are not “a disaster” they’re actually the reason Somalia has been able to achieve rapid electrification in both urban and rural areas, without suffering the kind of constant nationwide blackouts you see in Kenya and Ethiopia..

The idea that providers are just relying on “old diesel generators” is outdated. Since 2016, Somali banks and private companies have been aggressively investing in solar-hybrid systems, pairing renewables with battery storage and backup diesel to ensure 24/7 reliability. Providers like BECO, SomPower, and others have modernized their networks and continue to expand hybrid solar infrastructure


Decentralized microgrids are not about having “hundreds of tiny monopolies” they are competitive. In most cities like Mogadishu for example, the market over the years have expanded to include multiple providers operate (BECO, Mogadishu Power Supply, Tamarso, Blue Sky, Ileys, Kube Energy etc) which keeps prices down, pushes innovation, and forces companies to improve service quality.

Bosaso is the exception precisely because a merger reduced competition there, which proves the point: competition between many microgrid providers is healthier than a few centralized giants:



Centralized grids, like in Kenya or Ethiopia, are far more vulnerable to systemic failures. One drought, one infrastructure fault, and entire regions lose power. Somalia doesn’t face those problems because its grids are decentralized and hybridized. This model is considered future ready by global energy experts , it’s scalable, flexible, and avoids the pitfalls of centralized national grids that are costly and debt driven.

As for disconnection fees or dirty tricks , those were probably issues nearly a decade ago, when regulation was weaker and grids were still transitioning.

Lastly, the video you’re citing is from 9 years ago, showing a single provider before BECO and others entered to install solar power and updated the networks. If you look at more recent evidence, you’ll see the picture is very different.

The same provider Mogadishu Power Supply that is featured in that old video not only modernized their systems, technological equipment but also now utilize Solar Energy:
View attachment 370856

They have also updated their terms of services:
View attachment 370857

Here’s a video from 5 years ago where they explain how they are now saving money and providing cheaper electricity:

I like the initiative but thats only in xamar rest of the country still has that problem