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Department of Science, Innovation and Technology
Rice Straw Biogas Hub
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Rice is the number 1 food crop globally: 91% of it is produced and consumed in Asia and it is the staple for more than half the world's population. However, for every kilogram of rice we eat, a kilo of straw is also produced. Not to be confused with husks, which cover the grains and are taken to a mill, the stems and leaves of the rice plant are left in the fields after harvest. Rice straw is difficult to remove from paddy fields, which are often flooded and in remote areas. It is high in silica, making it a poor fuel or animal feed. It is also not suitable to incorporate into flooded rice fields due to slow degradation and high greenhouse gas emissions, so burning is farmers' main option for clearing fields. Across Asia, a staggering 300 million tonnes of rice straw go up in smoke every year, releasing a lethal cocktail of gases and black carbon that triple risks of increased respiratory diseases and accelerate climate change. Rice is responsible for 48% of global crop emissions: more CO2e than the whole global aviation industry combined. A recent IFPRI study calculated the health costs of crop residue burning to be $30 billion annually in North India alone, rising to $190 billion in five years. To address this crisis a British SME, Straw Innovations Ltd, was started in 2016 as a spin-out from pioneering international research on the subject. The company's founder, Craig Jamieson, assembled consortia and secured Energy Catalyst co-funding to establish an industrial pilot plant in the Philippines, collecting rice straw and fermenting it to produce clean-burning methane gas. The whole system had to be specially designed since no existing technologies were suitable for the purpose. The plant is now operational, with many techno-economic breakthroughs. Local farmers strongly support it and are waiting for scale-up so they can benefit from its efficient, clean energy services. Rice is known as a "Poverty Crop" because farmers often struggle to afford energy-intensive equipment that could improve their yields add value to their crop. Therefore, this project will demonstrate a complete system of 500ha harvesting, straw removal, biogas-powered rice drying and storage plus efficient milling. The "Rice Straw Biogas Hub" will offer these as affordable, value-adding commercial services to the rice farmers, avoiding their need to buy and maintain expensive equipment, and enabling them to triple incomes whilst protecting the environment.
PyroPower Africa Stage 2
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
PyroPower is a containerised 100 kW waste to energy technology developed by PyroGenesys and ICMEA-UK in Energy Catalyst Round 6 (ECR6). The conversion of agricultural waste to renewable electricity, process heat and biofuels simultaneously, underpins PyroPower's novel multi-revenue ability to provide reliable, affordable, renewable electricity in off-grid communities. Project partner Mobinet will facilitate access to formal banking services, microfinance and credit using their SIMPAY mobile banking platform. Proactive engagement and facilitation of women farmers and women-owned and run businesses, and wider engagement with disadvantaged groups to ensure they are included and their specific priorities and needs are being met, will be prioritised by all partners. ATMANCorp owns a 700 hectare cassava farm and flour mill in Oyo State and will host the PyroPower pilot along with a Micro Enterprise Park (MEP) and guarantee the supply of agricultural waste. The pilot will provide biofuel to a 250kva genset used to generate power for the factory and MEP and supply culinary-grade steam used for sterilising food processing lines in the factory. Aston University will build on their biofuel work with PyroGenesys in ECR7, to develop a continuous liquid biofuels process for producing diesel and kerosene. Manufacturing methods required to scale up the process for commercial production, will be developed by ICMEA-UK. Introduction of these liquid biofuels to the Nigerian market, in the form of renewable alternatives to diesel and kerosene, will be managed by Ardova PLC, a major Nigerian hydrocarbon reseller that supplies petroleum products to around 500 filling stations across the country. Within 5 years of project start, lessons from the pilot will inform the rollout of 100 commercial PyroPower installations across Ardova's filling station network. Deploying Mobinet's SIMPAY payment platform will support cashless electricity purchases made using featureless mobile handsets with no internet access in communities selected by Ardova to host commercial PyoPower installations. The export of solid biofuels in the form of solid smokeless biochar briquettes as a renewable alternative to coal, will be managed by PyroGenesys ECR7 partner Coal Products Limited (CPL).
Fiji WAVEFLOW
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
With the increasing demand for clean energy in island nations to achieve the ambitious decarbonisation goals for a net-zero future, where limited land availability poses a significant challenge for onshore renewable solutions, our ocean-based technology provides a game-changing solution that also tackles the challenges in offshore renewables deployment. Our innovative wave energy solution is designed to work seamlessly with existing floating wind systems, delivering clean, reliable, and affordable energy to land-constrained island nations facing energy access and energy equality challenges. Combining wind and wave power optimises energy production, reducing overall costs. This cost-effectiveness makes clean energy accessible to a wider population, helping bridge the energy gap and promoting equality among communities. This compatibility also allows for efficient use of infrastructure and capitalises on established offshore wind installations. We maximise efficiency and minimise installation and maintenance costs by leveraging these synergies. We are also committed to minimising the environmental impact associated with energy production. Our wave technology harnesses the power of nature without disturbing marine ecosystems, ensuring a harmonious coexistence between renewable energy generation and marine life preservation. By deploying our wave technology alongside floating wind systems, island nations can overcome energy challenges and pave the way for a cleaner and more sustainable future. Our solution brings a transformative change, empowering communities and contributing to a more equitable and environmentally conscious world.
GoHubs Mozambique Green Fishing and Cold Chain Hubs
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
GoHubs Mozambique is a transformative network of solar-battery microgrid hubs serving the artisanal fishing sector in coastal communities of Mozambique. The primary objective of GoHubs is to provide smart reliable renewable energy solutions, infrastructure and equipment to unlock market access, reduce fish losses, and bolster the local fishing sector. The artisanal fishing industry plays a crucial role in Mozambique, accounting for 90% of the total catch and with over 15% of households depending on it for their livelihoods. However, inadequate energy and transport infrastructure in coastal areas restrict the availability of resources such as ice, cold storage, and access to non-local markets. These limitations lead to significant fish losses and reduced incomes within the sector. To address these challenges and create new opportunities, GoHubs introduces a pioneering business model that combines significant technological and commercial innovations. From a technical perspective, GoHubs integrates energy-intensive operations like ice production, cold storage, water pumping, and electric refrigerated transport into an integrated hub, powered by an on-site solar-battery microgrid. Smart control and load management system, ensures a reliable and efficient power supply and optimises across the critical loads. The entire systems is also integrated onto a single monitoring platform to simplify operations. From a commercial standpoint, this bundling approach ensures that a continuous reliable cold chain from boat to market is effectively and sustainably established. Furthermore, this strategy facilitates economies of scale, resulting in lower unit costs for ice and services. GoHubs not only sells ice and cold storage services but also supports the trading of local fish, providing electric refrigerated transport to larger markets. The business model also enhances resilience by diversifying revenue streams, and by including electric vehicle charging reduces the impact of volatile fossil fuel costs on transportation. By providing ice and services instead of selling energy units, GoHubs mitigates the uncertainty associated with the current regulatory environment. GoHubs is a pilot deployment in Inhambane Province on a public-private partnership model with a community fish market. GoHubs expects to improve the livelihoods of the fishing sector workers and the broader community through improved catch quality, better and reliable market access, and reduced losses and wastage and replicate the model across Mozambique and other countries where renewable and reliable cold chain can unlock green growth.
Project GANESHA - Getting power Access to rural-Nepal through thermally cooled battery Energy storage for transport and Home Applications
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Project GANESHA focusses on development, manufacture and implementation of an innovative battery module solution for powering Nepal rural-based small passenger vehicles and off-grid low-power home energy systems. Solar-power installations will be constructed to pilot our innovation in two seperate rural-Nepal pilot sites with marginal-/zero-power access. Our consortium including three-UK and two-Nepal organisations, was formed to assist solution-development for commercial challenges faced by the Nepal Electric Vehicle Institute (NEVI) in achieving its ambition to provide Nepal-wide zero-carbon public-transport/power access. NEVI were established in the mid-1990s when growing urban-population densities led to exponential-increase in urban-internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle registrations/polluton. NEVI were pioneers in retrofitting Nepal-ICE-rickshaws to EV, and developing battery-solutions to power these vehicles. It rents batteries to marginalised-/low income-communities through its its affordable model, to facilitate their independant-income-generation (60% of its work-force being female). Limitations of Nepal's rural-/urban-location power grid/distribution restrict EV-rollout across the country. NEVI are forced to depot-recharge EV-rickshaws during night-periods when power-demand is low and risk of powercuts are minimised. Limited depot-space and grid-power restrictions limit EV-rickshaws numbers NEVI can provide each location's public-transport market. NEVI wish to access solar-power to charge vehicle battery packs and envision a removable solution simlar to products currently marketed in India and Sub-Saharan Africa to expand its service to rural-communities where solutions are most needed (aligning with its original mission). However, current module-products are recharged at low C-rates and require large capital-investment. To supply a public-transport EV-fleet NEVI would require large module-stocks and high-area solar-arrays. Our projects innovation/case study-sites resolve this dilemma. A new module will be designed, manufactured, and mobilised incorporating PAK-Engineering Ltd's robust-/lightweight-heat exchanger technology. PAK's system facilitates high C-rate charging and design-versatility enabling PAK to adapt/optimise its function to suit multiple environmental-conditions. EPT Ltd will design module-incorporated state-sensor/communications technology so module-function is optimised, and location tracked when in use. Gamma-Meon Ltd will design, adapt and incorporate a specilised payment systems platform that EV-rickshaw operators and users will use to access NEVI services. Our solution will reduce mentioned-capital investment-requirments, and enable rollout to two rural-communities with marginal-/zero-power access in project-timescales. NEVI via partneship with Nepal-famed gender/social-equity pioneer 3 Sisters Trekking Group will construct two rural-solar arrays for charging our-modules, for powering 8-10 EV-vehicles adapted to location-conditions, and provide home-energy-kits for lighting and small-device charging for imroving life-quality in these locations.
Project RICE (Renewable, Inclusive, Carbon-positive Energy)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
PROBLEM Modern agriculture is so critically dependent on fossil fuel inputs that they often outweigh energy outputs from the food produced. Hence modern farming has been described as "the use of land to convert oil into food". Undoubtedly, diesel-powered mechanisation has greatly reduced backbreaking drudgery for countless millions of farmers, and conversion of natural-gas into ammonia/nitrogen fertilisers is currently feeding a third of humanity. Nevertheless, the downsides are painfully obvious: Input Costs: Centralised production/distribution of fossil fuels mean farmers in remote areas across Africa and Asia often pay more than double for diesel-fuel/N-fertilisers. Those who cannot afford them are stuck in cycles of hard labour/low-yields/poverty. Those who can afford them lose around 60% at point-of-use(waste-heat from engines, or leaching/volatilisation from N-fertilisers). Food Prices: Food uses around a third of all energy globally, so when fossil-fuel prices rise, food prices follow, creating political instability and hardship for the world's most vulnerable(urban-poor and farmers in developing countries). Greenhouse Gas(GHG) Emissions: Agricultural emissions continue to rise, accelerating climate change, disproportionately impacting farmers in developing countries. VISION Development of efficient agricultural technologies powered by renewable energy to lower emissions whilst increasing farmer productivity and profitability in developing countries. Our focus is on the world's number 1 food crop: rice. Known as a "Poverty Crop"(low-margins for smallholder-farmers). Responsible for 48% of all crop GHG emissions. 91% of rice is produced/consumed in Asia. Straw Innovations("SI") (British SME operating in the Philippines) has pioneered a suite of technologies for collecting rice straw at harvest-time, avoiding field-burning/rotting that accounts for almost half of rice emissions. In this project, they will convert their "straw-catcher" machine to run on solar-PV electricity/batteries instead of diesel. Takachar(multi-award-winning Indian SME) has developed a cost-effective mobile biochar production unit that can transform rice straw from a major pollutant into a vast carbon sink. They will make a 10x scaled-up version and send it to SI, who will tap the waste process heat for the first time to dry rice, instead of diesel/kerosene. The char will then be returned to the farmers' fields as a more efficient fertiliser/soil-amendment, incorporated by the same SI electric "rice/straw-collectors" that harvested it. SI will also send their machines from the Philippines to India mid-project and the two countries will test out different business models for farmer adoption/benefit. Aston University(home of SUPERGEN Bioenergy Hub) leading sustainability specialists will invite stakeholder feedback and also calculate GHG savings from the new system.
Solar And Biogas Off-grid Power (SABOP) for Rwenjeru Agrotourism and Demonstration Farm, Mbarara, Uganda.
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
In this project, we will integrate of 2 well-established technologies (solar photovoltaic power and biomethane from biodigestion of waste biomass) to create a 24-hours' all-weather electricity supply minigrid that will tackle the colossal lack of access to energy in Uganda (particularly Rwenjeru Agrotourism and Demonstration Farm). Also, we will implement a renewable milk chiller as a productive use of energy at Rwenjeru. Furthermore, we will conduct a market analysis and develop a business plan for the viable and affordable deployment of the project outcome and for future scale-up beyond the project. Our waste-to-energy anaerobic digestion system will help to process food and agricultural waste that will otherwise pollute the environment, into clean renewable energy (24hrs) for an agrotourism business and \>1,000 farmer's household. By performing initial socio-economic appraisal, we will access the affordability of potential end-users and the viability of the SABOP energy platform. We will leverage on the intrinsic waste-to-energy approach of the SABOP system to match the affordability of Ugandans. The implementation of a smart minigrid allows us to accurately measure loading and generation capacity of SABOP and to effectively plan for expansion into neighbouring communities. We will engage with local and national stakeholders to ensure buy-in and share outcomes from the project to improve energy policy in Uganda. The use of biomethane as an alternative to gasoil is expected to improve local air quality, with regards to NOx and particulate matter. We will reduce Rwenjeru's dependence on highly polluting diesel and petrol powered electricity generators. By generating electricity with solar power instead of fossil fuels, we can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2). Our stakeholders and community engagement (workshops, social media, and flyers) will increase environmental awareness and prompt end-users to be more resource efficient in other parts of their daily life. Reliable electricity supply from the SABOP system will improved street and community lighting which will enhance security in Rwenjeru. By increasing the productivity and profitability through energy access, as well as providing cheaper biofertilizer to farmers (76% women), households will be able to improve the quality and quantity of food in the homes with positive impact on the general health and well-being of people.
Development of a HIGH Capacity FLEXible Energy Storage System for Mini-Grid Application in Sub-Sahara Africa (High ESS)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This collaborative project will develop and demonstrate a new technology (HIGHFLEX) that consists of a high-capacity flexible energy storage systems (HIGHFLEX ESS) integrated with innovative Battery Management System (BMS); Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) and intelligent monitoring and performance management system (Digital Twin) for mini grid applications in hot climates. The new technology is a portable and scalable system that facilitates: Quick development of mini grids in SSA. Storage of high-capacity energy generated from clean power sources during peak hours for off-peak utilisation. Delivering reliable and affordable power system through innovative solutions e.g., Digital twin, second life battery, real-time performance management and heat control system. The project's vision is to rapidly accelerate access to affordable off-grid electricity from clean energy sources in SSA. The project taps into the expanding global mini grid markets to offer affordable energy access for social mobility and inclusion in SSA communities not served by main power grids. HIGHFLEX will facilitate steady supply of electricity to rural and unserved areas and reduce energy access gaps between rural and urban communities in SSA where inaccessibility to affordable electricity is one of the main drivers of poverty to over 600 million people. This project has chosen Nigeria as a case for deployment of HIGHFLEX technology because of its over 200 million population and majority of its rural population (48% of its total population) do not have access to affordable and low carbon electricity. The project addresses barrier (access to electricity) to adoption of advancements in healthcare system; developing new technologies for agriculture, commerce, education; and entrepreneurship. HIGHFLEX makes it possible to deliver low carbon electricity to unlock sustainable economic development in SSA communities. This will empower women and children to lead more productive lives and have a better wellbeing. This will in turn encourage gender equality by learning digital and modern skills, which gives girls and women equal access to education, healthcare and enterprise. Furthermore, access to clean energy via mini grid will reduce crime and social unrest, since majority of the population would be productively engaged (Bloomberg 2020). This will lead to improved human security and cohesive communities and societies driven by mutual objective for sustainable development. HIGHFLEX will accelerate access to affordable and low carbon clean energy from bio-diesel, solar and wind (SDG 7), which lower environmental impacts from continued use of diesel-powered generators in Nigeria (world's leading generator consumer) to combat climate change effects (SDG 13).
REACT Mid-stage - Renewable Energy Access for the Conversion of Tuk-tuks
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Following the successful early-stage project, this project aims to further develop the innovative technologies and business models that together will improve energy access to hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan three-wheel tuk-tuk drivers. Tuk-tuk-drivers -- male and female - rely on their vehicles as an important source of income but currently lack access to energy which is affordable, reliable and carbon free. The project will convert internal combustion engine tuk-tuks to electricity and power them with clean and renewable solar energy. Tuk-tuks are the main light transport method in Sri Lanka and other adjacent countries such as India, Thailand and Indonesia - there are over 1.2 million tuk-tuks in Sri Lanka which generate considerable air pollution. The vast majority of these vehicles are powered by out-of-date two or four stroke petrol engines. In addition, the recent fuel price rise and severe supply instability has affected the tuktuk drivers' community who are subsisting on low-incomes. Following the innovative concept of tuktuk conversion and battery subscription scheme developed from the early-stage project, we aim to mature the user-centred technology and business model in this mid-stage project and address several technical and business challenges, to pave the way for successful exploitation. The design of the conversion kit including mechanical, electric and electronic components, will be reiterated and improved towards final products; long-term strategic suppliers will be identified and the partnership will be developed; partnerships with local garages and fuel stations (charge stations) will be developed; data will be collected and new business opportunities will be identified; training courses will be developed to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the vehicles. A large trial will be conducted to prove the concept and collect valuable data. The team will also work with the local authorities to promote the technologies and businesses. The Technology lead for the project is an industrial firm, Alta Vison (Pvt) Ltd (AVL) who have a rich experience in renewable energy system installation and operation, and energy storage system development. Another business partner Large Minority who has valuable experience and connection with end-users will join the team. They are supported by two academic partners with sound track records and knowledge in mechanical and electric system design, electric and hybrid vehicle research and development. The team has both a strong technological and business background, as well as good understanding of the local market and the policy landscape in Sri Lanka.
Islanded Wave Powered Microgrid Pilot for Remote Islands in Thailand
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project is a building on and adding to our successful Energy Catalyst R8 early-stage project, demonstrating good feasibility of the proposed concepts in enhancing the efficiency of onshore wave energy converters (WECs) and developing advanced wave-powered microgrids (WPMG) in the selected remote islands of Thailand with limited or no grid access which currently use expensive, polluting diesel generators (DEGs) as the main supply. The unit cost of the electricity generated by WPMGs can be significantly reduced by advanced predictive optimal control strategies to improve the wave power output of the WECs in a range of sea states with state-of-the-art power electronic components and novel microgrid energy management systems (EMS). The EMS can significantly reduce the power conversion/distribution losses and use deep-learning-based algorithms to forecast the stochastic loads in varying weather and wave conditions. Moreover, the microgrid provides a reliable and secure source of electricity using distributed and remote EMS services. In this mid-stage project, we aim to systematically demonstrate the efficacies of the whole concept to pave the way for sea-trial testing validation at the final stage. The consortia will integrate all the key components into one hybrid system-level wave-to-wire (W2W) WPMG simulator to validate the functionalities of the microgrid efficiently and economically in various scenarios close to real sea conditions. The wave prediction will be enabled by the latest Radar-based technology to provide shutdown signals for detrimental waves and to increase the survivability of the WECs. We aim to increase the technology readiness level (TRL) of the proposed WPMG technologies to build up a stand-alone microgrid in the final stage. Overall, the project aims to provide inclusive community-based renewable energy (sensitive to gender equality and social inclusiveness) that addresses the lack of energy access in Thailand's remote and isolated islands and eventually in other SE Asia countries like the Philippines and Indonesia. The project consortia include key industrial players, including Aquatera, Hitachi Energy, Toshiba, EcoWavePower, and major universities QMUL, Manchester & Exeter, for successfully delivering the project objectives. Following our successful workshops in the early-stage project, we will hold further technical and training workshops for the technology transfer in the SE Asia region, especially for female professionals, to promote gender equality in the renewable energy sector.
Bitesize Energy Portable Productive Power for Enhanced Energy Access and Productivity
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Despite its potential, Malawi's Mini-grid market remains in its infancy, facing barriers to realising full impact. These include, most notably, accurately forecasting Average Revenue per User (ARPU) and Average Weekly Time of Power (AWTP) when assessing potential locations, and initial low energy demand during evening hours, increasing battery storage costs. Building upon existing hardware and software developed by CREATIVenergie during Energy Catalyst 7, our approach stimulates impactful community demand for energy by integrating portable small-scale productive applications into a rental model that incorporates pay-per-use battery swapping, simultaneously generating local data on ARPU and AWTP to support accurate load projection analysis and de-risk prospective minigrid investments. To sustain operations, we will employ a two-tier 'franchisor-franchisee' model. As franchisors, Challenges Catalyst will partner with local aspiring mini-grid developers (MGDs) to act as 'franchisees', procure hub equipment, manage branding and set quality standards. Franchisees will own and operate the pay per use battery swap and PUE model, collecting ARPU and AWTP data and acting not only as the frontline for customer interactions, but also as community advocates for present and future energy needs. Guided by Malawi's Integrated Energy Plan, we will target communities where minigrids have been identified as the preferred electrification option. As we expand, we will also target more remote off-grid communities, inclusively recruiting and training local franchisees. This project includes the following key work packages: * Hardware and software development involves updating electronics hardware design, software design, casing design, prototyping, and testing for battery rental and management. * During the demonstrator implementation phase, tasks include installation, manufacturing hardware for trials, deploying and commissioning hubs, commissioning portable productive loads, installing communication systems, conducting trials, and data collection. Ongoing operation, maintenance, and data collection are also part of this phase. * Commercial implementation involves conducting baseline community and energy needs assessments, establishing franchisee relationships with MGDs for franchised hubs, providing commercial and franchisee training, mentoring, community marketing, implementing the hub model, and monitoring and evaluating hub performance. * The project focuses on MGD and government engagement, including convening a stakeholder technical advisory board, assessing data needs, developing an MGD value proposition, and establishing a complementary go-to-market strategy. * Franchise model development activities include establishing a franchise structure and legal framework, designing the franchisor business and revenue model, codifying operations and quality systems, optimising franchisee training and support programs, developing a marketing and branding strategy. * The development of a comprehensive business and financial plan.
ACE DELIVERS: Distribution of Energy to the Last-Mile through an Inclusive Value-Chain Ensuring Responsible Services
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
African Clean Energy (ACE), in collaboration with The Challenges Group, seek to establish a scalable, decentralised and digitised distribution model for transitioning households from harmful charcoal usage to sustainable local fuel options. ACE has demonstrable demand for its sustainable briquettes, however, the existing method of ordering and delivering fuels through local agents becomes impractical and unsustainable as ACE expands its geographical market penetration. This project will demonstrate the advantages of developing an inclusive approach to reconfiguring and incentivising Uganda's current physical infrastructure -- including local retailers serving as satellite suppliers, and motorcycle riders -- to promote efficient and cost effective decentralised last-mile delivery. By then overlaying this infrastructure with a digital framework, the approach will enhance access to affordable sustainable cooking options. This will, in large part, be accomplished by further enhancing ACE's proprietary app, ACE Connect. The project's innovativeness revolves around the following three components: 1. Digital Technology: Inspired by companies like Jumia Foods, ACE will utilise digital technology to engage and incentivise decentralised distribution value chain players and drive the transition to sustainable energy. 2. Hybrid Finance Model: ACE will implement a hybrid finance model that utilizes measured carbon offset revenue and scalable digital systems. By utilising digital tools to measure, collect, and monetise impact data, the project aims to disrupt existing practices by introducing positive incentives and commercial operations that consider both the "ability to pay" of end consumers and the "willingness to pay" of Carbon Offset Buyers.This approach aims to alleviate the financial burden on the poorest households while ensuring their active engagement in the project. 3. Value Chain Replication: The project will ensure replication the innovative decentralised and digitised value chain approach in different contexts (including humanitarian, development and conservation) through partnerships with third parties. This strategy enables scalability and financial viability in multiple locations, promoting sustainable growth. Given 92% of energy consumed in Uganda comes from biomass, primarily charcoal, used for home cooking, this project is extremely timely. Uganda has experienced a significant loss in tree cover due to charcoal production, prompting recent executive orders to ban charcoal production in Northern Uganda. ACE's responsible approach to catalysing a just transition from the charcoal value chain will have a lasting impact on affordable, reliable and low carbon energy access in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Off-Grid Renewable Energy Production and Storage with Organic Rankine Cycle, Solar and Waste (RESORCS)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
According to the International Energy Agency, around four percent of the world electricity supply comes from solar electric cells. Solar energy is abundantly available in South Asia and in Sub Saharan Africa that is not harnessed nowhere near its full potential. The conventional technologies that harness solar energy are solar thermal and solar electric cells. Solar electric cells have a low conversion efficiency compared to solar heating cells and other thermal based energy conversion methods, for example an IC engine. Despite having a recycling efficiency of around 95%, recycling of solar electric cells is currently an expensive process. RESORCS project aims to design, construct and test an off-grid renewable energy production technology with a novel high output Rankine engine, local waste and solar energy harnessed with a concentrated solar collector. A concentrated solar collector can collect thermal energy efficiently and relatively cheaply. Collected thermal energy is used to propel a Rankine Cycle engine based rotary turbine generator to generate electricity. Thermal energy collected can be boosted using thermal energy produced with waste combustion and bio-gas generated using waste. This hybrid combination can produce high grade thermal energy that will also increase thermodynamic efficiency of the prime mover, in this case, the FeTu turbine. Thermal energy collected during day is stored in a thermal energy reservoir that can be regulated based on demand. Electricity generated can be used directly, fed to the grid or stored in a battery bank for night time use or during high demand. It can also be used to power sustainable clean transport systems such as electric cars. The system can be used either as a standalone application or a grid connected system. The system is suited for a cluster of households or a small-scale enterprise. In summary, the project aims to: design and optimise a concentrated solar collector system with environmentally friendly materials and technology for optimal efficiency; develop a thermal energy storage system and a Organic Rankine Cycle engine based turbine generator which is suitable for the concentrated solar collector system; design electricity generation and control system with the concentrated solar system Stirling engine generator with grid connectivity; design and integrate a waste combustion system to boost energy; prototype the combination system and test its performance in different modes of use; and investigate the design and impact of the system, pre and post design and construction
Piloting Basic Solar Energy Grants for Equitable Access to Energy
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Like many emerging markets, South Africa has a fast-growing urban population, resulting in the proliferation of informal settlements on land often unsuitable for grid electrification. Nevertheless, under South African law, municipalities have a legal obligation to provide basic services, including energy, to all households but prioritising the poor. While existing national policies do allow for alternative (off-grid) energy services, these policies were not initially intended for urban informal settlements and are thus not fit for that demographic. A number of municipalities are thus exploring how to develop their own policies to meet this need. For example, the City of Cape Town is considering implementing a grant for eligible low-income households that do not have grid electricity. The monthly grant could be put toward an energy service of each household's choice. An advantage of such a grant is that it would provide affordable and varied options for consumers, and would stimulate innovation and competition amongst potential service-providers. Before implementing such a policy the city is seeking evidence to help establish an optimal grant-value that ensures a high level of inclusivity. iShack and Zonke Energy have been providing off-grid solar energy services (via Solar Home Systems and Solar-Towers, respectively) for a number of years in various informal settlements around Cape Town. They have tested a range of financial and operating models, and have shown conclusively that for the South African informal settlement context, private enterprise alone cannot fill the gap of energy access due to a lack of affordability. Thus, some form of state support is needed. In this project a Basic Energy Grant (funded by Energy Catalyst Round 10) will be implemented in one large community in order to demonstrate its effect on inclusivity, as well as build the case for viable business models. iShack and Zonke will collaborate to provide a choice of basic solar energy services. The project will run for two years, during which each participating household will have the benefit of the grant, which they can use towards the purchase of a Solar Home System or access to Solar-Tower electricity. A programmatic community engagement element will support a co-productive relationship with the community as well as promote energy democracy and capacity building, gender equality and inclusivity. Progress and outcomes will be monitored by Future Advisory Ltd who will conduct communications to disseminate the results of the pilot to relevant stakeholders, in particular to municipalities.
UNIQUE STEAM TO POWER GENERATOR SYSTEMS FOR DECENTRALISED THERMAL PLANTS AND SMALL WASTE INCINERATORS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Nigeria and other ODA countries have limited and unreliable grid electricity supply which limits industrial growth and productivity. As a result of power intermittency and being offgrid, many industries are reliant on highly polluting costly diesel generators. Heliex Power manufactures a unique energy recovery technology based on twin-screw steam turbine, which is easy to retrofit, install and operate in industrial applications that produce waste heat. Saturated wet steam is common in these thermal processes, and industries benefit from a Heliex TST unit as its innovative expander technology is unique in working with saturated wet steam to generate power. Current version of Heliex has sold over 85 units across Europe, but requires reliable grid connectivity to operate, and so is unsuitable for ODA countries. The aim of this project is develop the electrical and control systems to allow offgrid/decentralised operation. Project developments include modifications to the electrical part of the unit, its control to the new system requirements, modifying steam components as identified during an engineering review, plus testing and certification of the equipment. The solution offers an alternative to replace or reduce the power generated from diesel generators by industry with clean power generated by the Heliex unit. This cost-effective solution will also make it affordable for industrial customers to run their factories, especially with the removal of government diesel subsidies in Nigeria. Long term, Heliex with our local distributor in Nigeria, and in other ODA countries will further promote the installation of our equipment in industry significantly reducing carbon emissions.
CoolRun Malawi
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Agriculture is the key industry in Malawi; however, given the sub-tropical, climate, the cold supply chain for fruit, vegetables and other temperature sensitive goods is lacking. In most of Malawi, the electricity supply is unreliable, and the increasing cost of fossil fuels makes it expensive to operate internal combustion driven generators and compressors. The lack of a reliable, affordable, and available cold supply chain leads to high levels of wastage up to 50% of some crops harvested. In rural areas, farming is mostly on a subsistence basis and a female occupation. Farmers either sell their produce directly (or via resellers) at markets or roadside walking up to 2 hours to reach their pitch. Because the crop is not chilled, it cannot be easily sold to shops or supermarkets where higher prices could be realised. Our innovation is to develop a micro, affordable, mobile, sustainable refrigeration system comprising a modular refrigerated box cooled by Phase Change Material (PCM) panels. The crop is pre-cooled at a central location using a solar powered refrigeration unit that also cools the PCM panels. Temperature integrity is monitored via sensors that monitor GPS position and temperature and the data is transmitted to a cloud database for verification by supplier and customer alike. The design and development work will be undertaken by Aston University in conjunction with its SME partners Hubl Logistics, Enterprise Projects Ventures Limited (EPVL), Malawi Fruits and Engineeronics Ltd in the UK and Modern Farming Technology (MFT) in Malawi. EPVL will supply the systems and the prototype will be evaluated in the field by MFT and Malawi Fruits. MFT will assess any gender related issues with the design. A digital twin of the design will be developed at Aston and performance of the prototype will be compared to the digital twin which will inform the final design. Aston University will conduct studies of the impact of the technology on gender and unrepresented groups. Fruit and vegetable farming and selling in Malawi are activities divided based on gender with land ownership male dominated with females relegated to farming and sales. The technology is being developed with farming and selling enterprises in Malawi in mind to empower women to develop their enterprise and social standing by adding value to their activities. CoolRun enables users to cut waste dramatically providing more to sell and reach markets where prices are higher thereby generating greater returns.
Ubuntu Energy
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project aims to build community resilience in sub-Saharan Africa using Energy Ubuntu as a vehicle. It is akin to the 'Uber of Energy', democratising power sharing, transforming wasted energy into community power, and empowering communities to drive their development through sustainable means. It seeks to transform waste energy to community power for productive use. It addresses the developmental challenges of lack of modern and clean energy access, energy poverty and the harmful effects of global warming by improving access to clean and reliable electricity and deriving new business and economic change models, and building capabilities and contributing to SDGs 1,3,4,5,7,8,9,11,12,13. Nigeria's electricity sector faces a problem. Its Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are sub-optimally utilized and substantially wasteful, while it has deficient electricity access of ~60%. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are up to 400% oversized or lack the mechanism required to utilize their generation potential. Some PV systems are up to 80% used during the weekdays but are 20% utilized on weekends. Rural communities only utilize about 5% of the potential PV energy. Yet, 85 million Nigerians have no electricity access, costing Nigeria $26 billion annually for self-generation using carbon-intensive generators, causing excessive carbon emissions and energy waste because excess generation cannot be fed into the grid. To address this challenge, Energy Ubuntu delivers a design and pilot of a smart grid (SG) peer-to-peer (P2P) energy-sharing framework that enables the distribution of excess generation potential to energy consumers to enhance PV capacity utilization and minimize energy waste while providing clean and affordable electricity. It improves PV usage by incentivizing individuals or businesses to sell energy to potential consumers in a peer-to-peer system. The consumers will be SMEs and homes near solar PV systems in rural and urban communities. The project will be implemented over two years with critical deliverables of smart grid design, energy trading software, energy data mining and machine learning models for energy supply, deployment of smart circuitry in 200 sites, energy trade, and the evolution of new business models and community resilience initiatives. It will be implemented by four teams, Greenage Technologies (Technical lead), Nithio (Technical partner), Oxford EPG (research lead), and DRE Partners Ltd (formerly Kula Foods) (Admin Lead). Some co-benefits can be derived from Energy Ubuntu, including sustainable community development and carbon emission reduction leading to improved standards of living while significantly decreasing CO2 emissions.
Cotton Footprint: transitioning the carbon intensive cotton and textiles industry to renewable infrastructure through a whole supply chain approach
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
A collaboration to deliver affordable energy solutions in rural Pakistan communities who are integral to the farming and production of global cotton supplies. The Affordable Clean Energy Farm (ACE-Farm) is a novel insetting scheme that aims to redistribute capital via investments by fashion brands, textiles manufacturers and clean cotton networks to reduce the impact of their own carbon consumption. This project will continue the work delivered by UK energy management company, Pilio, and Pakistan energy infrastructure company, SAMA^Verte, under an Energy Catalyst 8 funded feasibility study. Within this continuation project, we will demonstrate the economic model that aims to bring clean and affordable energy access to Pakistan's 10m cotton workers. Our focus is on creating a multiplier effect via a range of ecosystem services, including household energy access, productive energy on industrial cotton farms (ginners) and enabling micro-enterprises to offer energy services and create new markets. Within this project Pilio will develop our technology platform, that measures the investment brands make in terms of carbon reduction and affordable energy uptake, as well as economic terms including ROI. This project will be delivered in close working partnership with WWF Pakistan and global sustainability experts, Better Cotton.
SolarERA (Solar Electrification of Rural Areas)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The people of Thar Desert have little to no electricity access. Those that have access, use diesel polluting generators to produce this electricity, while fuel supply is unreliable and intermittent. The Thar is the most populous desert in the world, with approximately 16.6m people living there. Tharis are far behind the Pakistani average on economic skills. They rely predominantly on agriculture/livestock and "Thari crafts" (ornate embroidered/sewn garments such as quilts and cushions) to survive. The Thari women who make these crafts are extremely hardworking and talented, spirited and committed. Empowering women can change the destiny of Tharparkari people. However, the unavailability of electricity needed to power productivity enhancing stitching/sewing machines, means these women must make every stitch painstakingly by hand. As such, garment making is incredibly slow, laborious, and they are unable to leverage their skills to benefit their families and the wider village community. By the end of 2026, SolarERA systems will be ready to provide a unique electrification solution that will benefit these people by affording them access to off-grid electricity and in turn electric sewing/craft machines, and in doing so revolutionise their current economic situation. As a result, Thari-crafts can form the bedrock of the economic model that will provide microfinance institutions with the confidence to offer the initial investment to fund the SolarERA pico-grids. From this key initial electrification enabler, further downstream benefits can flow in relation to Health and Well-being, Education and Learning, Communication and Connectivity etc. Additionally, SolarERA will serve to preserve the age-old Thari crafts skills of these women, passed down by successive generations for centuries. The benefits to project partners are clear, major growth in jobs (25-UK, 125-PAK) and economic activity (£22.5million in revenues) by 2031. Kunwaa Foundation will be able to achieve its aim of improving the lives of the Thar people more easily and faster. SALATEEN will become a leader in the supply and installation of pico-grids across Pakistan and neighbouring countries. Zhyphen will see a significant boost in exports of critical technology for the enablement of low-cost off-grid solar solutions, enhancing it and Brunel-University-London's reputation as leaders in this area
SolarSaver2 (SS2) Low Cost Energy Solution in Africa Energy Catalyst Round 10: Mid Stage
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
SOLARSAVER2 focuses on delivering a sustainable business model for using innovative low carbon off grid drying solutions. The project aims to create value for small- and large-scale sub-Saharan agricultural producers and other stakeholders by adding a new sustainable technical and processing solution delivered at a pricing level suitable for deployment in Africa and Asia to create highly nutritious products and reduce food waste. Fruit and vegetable products are of high moisture content. The key target is to significantly reduce the energy consumption, operating costs and carbon footprint of conventional drying techniques using an innovative low-temperature drying process. The sustainable delivery of low cost drying has a significant impact on the different sections of society such as the poor (majority of farmers) and women (about 50%) are catered for. Extensive operations and trials are planned with partners in Tanzania including local manufacturing. The processing solution is such that it can be easily deployed on-farm at different degrees of decentralisation and in centralised small, medium and large-scale industrial sites.
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