Redefining the Energy Market
| SECTOR | PERIOD | LOCATION |
| Clean Energy / Drones | 2016–2018 | Southern Africa (Pilot) |
OVERVIEW
Energy By Air (EBA) was founded in 2016 by six classmates during a business challenge. The venture tackled one of the world’s most persistent infrastructure problems: 1.2 billion people lack access to clean, reliable electricity. EBA’s answer was not to fix the grid — it was to bypass it entirely.
The model used drones to deliver charged batteries directly to homes in rural and inaccessible communities, creating a decentralized, scalable energy delivery system. Gillybert supported the business development and strategic structuring of the early-stage venture.
THE CHALLENGE
The existing electrical grid is fundamentally incapable of delivering renewable energy at the scale and reliability needed — particularly in developing regions. In the next decade, renewable capacity will grow significantly, but storage and delivery systems have not kept pace.
Rural and remote communities face three compounding problems: unreliable or nonexistent grid infrastructure, no scalable energy storage solutions, and physical geography that makes traditional delivery prohibitively expensive. These are not edge cases — they represent billions of people.
GILLYBERT’S APPROACH
EBA designed a three-component system to address the challenge end-to-end:
- Battery Access Point: Integrates consumer residences with the EBA system, creating individual homes as nodes in a distributed energy network.
- Battery Rental: Customers access charged LiPo or LiFo batteries on demand or on a continuous subscription basis, tailored to their household energy needs.
- Drone Delivery: Autonomous drones collect depleted batteries from homes, replace them with freshly charged units, and return to charging stations — completing the cycle without human intervention.
The pilot was designed for the Southern African region, where grid infrastructure exists but cannot consistently serve all areas. As drone automation technology matures — experts projected full automation within a few years of the project — labor costs would drop dramatically and delivery range would expand.
OUTCOME & IMPACT
EBA demonstrated a viable, investable model for decentralized energy delivery. The three-component system was fully designed, the Southern African pilot region was identified, and the business structure was developed with investor-ready documentation.
- Business model validated for rural and grid-constrained communities
- Southern African pilot strategy developed with local market analysis
- Drone-based delivery system designed for autonomous operation at scale
- Investment structure and pitch materials developed
| Addressable Market | 1.2 billion people without clean electricity access |
| Pilot Region | Southern Africa |
| Technology Model | Autonomous drone delivery of LiPo / LiFo batteries |
| Gillybert Role | Business development, strategic structure, investor documentation |
“We believe it is more profitable and efficient to change the delivery system rather than try to fix the existing grid.”