Today’s entry from Greenbang’s special report on UK Clean Tech Start-up businesses is about PowerOasis, just one of the many companies found in the report.

• Founder/Chief Executive: Nick Smailes
• Founding date: December 2006
• Number of employees: 9
• Turnover: 2008 £250,000, projected
• 2010 £20 million
• Website: www.power-oasis.com

PowerOasis specializes in powering mobile-phone base stations with renewable energy. Quite unique you might think, but for rural areas that are way of the electricity grid, very handy.

The telecommunications industry’s next 1.6 billion customers are expected to hail from emerging markets. The telecoms industry is building a network infrastructure and base stations that need power. Grid-based electricity in emerging markets is patchy which means most operators must rely on fossil fuels. Generators need diesel and diesel is expensive.

Renewable energy may have a higher capital cost than diesel generators but is becoming a more viable economic solution, providing it is available.

The Greenbang Barometer

PowerOasis is going after a $10 billion market and a market that Greenbang would also like to mention is incredibly hungry for renewable energy options and the CSR (corporate social responsibility) kudos that goes with them. Unlike many of its competitors, PowerOasis has several renewable options on the table for base stations and sells the set-up knowhow to go with it.

It also has patents on its all-important power controller, meaning its not only protected its clever ideas, but its also got some smart brains on board. The company covers the hardware, software, services and consultancy for off-grid, giving telcos a reason to not look anywhere else.

Tags: Clean Tech Start-up Index, PowerOasis