This past week, Asoba's COO and Co-Founder Gertie Ogojiaku joined forces with Dhevan Pillay, the CEO of LTM Energy (Pty) Ltd at the Southern African Energy Efficiency Confederation (SAEEC) 20th Annual Conference.
Held under the theme "Engineering the Future: Energy Efficiency in the Circular Economy," the conference brought together energy leaders, innovators, and policymakers to discuss how technology can unlock measurable impact in the transition toward a sustainable energy system.
Confronting the Cost of Reactive Maintenance
South Africa's solar industry is rapidly expanding, but inefficiencies in operations and maintenance (O&M) remain a critical challenge. Across the country, solar portfolios lose up to R800,000 per MW annually due to reactive O&M practices:
- Faults detected hours too late
- Repairs that drag on for days
- Up to 30% of budgets wasted on false alarms
These inefficiencies quietly erode 2–3% of asset value every year, a hidden loss that directly impacts investor confidence and long-term project sustainability.
The Shift to Predictive, AI-Driven O&M
In their joint session, "From Manual Chaos to Measurable Savings," Gertrude and Dhevan outlined how AI-driven predictive maintenance provides a practical, high-impact solution—without requiring new dashboards or complex change management.
Using the OODA loop (Observe–Orient–Decide–Act) framework, Asoba's AI layer integrates seamlessly with existing monitoring systems to:
- Detect anomalies up to 8x faster
- Quantify Energy-at-Risk and classify faults in real time
- Optimize maintenance decisions based on financial impact, not just technical alerts
This approach transforms maintenance from a cost center into a measurable performance advantage.
"In O&M, true intelligence isn't about AI giving every answer — it's about knowing which answers can be trusted. At Asoba, we've built our AI to respect data integrity, not fabricate it. Because in the clean energy transition, reliable operations don't start with algorithms, they start with disciplined data." — Gertie Ogojiaku, COO & Co-Founder, Asoba
Engineering the Future of Clean Energy Reliability
Asoba's mission is to build the intelligence layer that enables a decentralized, data-driven energy future. Through advanced forecasting, dispatch, and predictive O&M solutions, we're helping asset managers and utilities move beyond reactive operations, toward measurable, sustainable performance.
By combining AI, domain expertise, and a pragmatic understanding of energy operations, Asoba continues to redefine what's possible in clean energy management across Africa and beyond.
About Asoba
Founded in 2021, Asoba develops AI-powered software that integrates decentralized renewable energy into the grid efficiently and profitably. Our products enable forecasting, policy analysis, and operations optimization, empowering organizations to see, decide, and act on data faster.