Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SESA (Smart Energy Solutions for Africa)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-10-01 bis 2023-03-31
Implemented in nine African countries, the EU-funded SESA project will develop and test solutions to accelerate the green transition and energy access in Africa. It will explore innovative technologies and services in urban and rural contexts and support their uptake, deepening technical, financial and policy aspects. Specifically, SESA will co-develop innovations with local partners. The first phase will start in Kenya, where solutions include using water hyacinths from Lake Victoria to produce biogas. In the second phase, SESA will test energy solutions in Ghana, Malawi, Morocco and South Africa. The findings, included in a scalable toolbox for advanced implementation and management strategies, will facilitate the applicability and replicability of the technologies.
SESA will facilitate a structured co-development process, which starts with the co-development of energy access innovations that have a high potential for take-up and are tested, validated and later replicated. Each technology will be demonstrated in the living lab, and a corresponding information and training package is created. Each of the living lab team will consist of technology experts, local implementation partners (members of the consortium) along with local authorities (associated partners) and innovators (recruited through the seed-funding call), guided by business development, finance and policy experts. Demonstration actions will aim to test innovative technologies and services in different contexts that have a high level of replicability and a high potential for long-term sustainability. The project aims to achieve a high level of replicability of actions. As part of an effort to go beyond the state of the art and maximise the project?s impact, the project will co-develop innovations with local partners and cooperate closely with sister projects to exploit synergies. Solutions that will be tested in this project have been selected on their basis of their replication potential. Demonstration concepts aim to integrate several solutions to provide essential energy services to rural and urban communities and create easily replicable business opportunities for local entrepreneurs. The co-developed demonstration actions will be initially tested in the Kenya living lab and based on the initial learnings, various aspects of the tested innovations will be validated in living labs in different socioeconomic operating environments (Ghana, South Africa, Malawi and Morocco). The learning from the validation living labs will strengthen the applicability and replicability of the technologies as well as the basic business concepts, which will be shared in the SESA toolbox and incubator programme.
SESA will facilitate a structured co-development process, which starts with the co-development of energy access innovations that have a high potential for take-up and are tested, validated and later replicated. Each technology will be demonstrated in the living lab, and a corresponding information and training package is created. Each of the living lab team will consist of technology experts, local implementation partners (members of the consortium) along with local authorities (associated partners) and innovators (recruited through the seed-funding call), guided by business development, finance and policy experts. Demonstration actions will aim to test innovative technologies and services in different contexts that have a high level of replicability and a high potential for long-term sustainability. The project aims to achieve a high level of replicability of actions. As part of an effort to go beyond the state of the art and maximise the project?s impact, the project will co-develop innovations with local partners and cooperate closely with sister projects to exploit synergies. Solutions that will be tested in this project have been selected on their basis of their replication potential. Demonstration concepts aim to integrate several solutions to provide essential energy services to rural and urban communities and create easily replicable business opportunities for local entrepreneurs. The co-developed demonstration actions will be initially tested in the Kenya living lab and based on the initial learnings, various aspects of the tested innovations will be validated in living labs in different socioeconomic operating environments (Ghana, South Africa, Malawi and Morocco). The learning from the validation living labs will strengthen the applicability and replicability of the technologies as well as the basic business concepts, which will be shared in the SESA toolbox and incubator programme.
Major activities perfomed during the 18 months period include:
Engagements with stakeholders
We engaged with community leaders, government officials and local government on activities lined up at the living lab i.e. the identification of sites where 10 info-spots will be installed by the Basic Internet Foundation. We also engaged them on user needs assessment preliminary studies to recommend what specifications are appreciated by the end users.
Validation call
Facilitated the Malawi call for entrepreneurs under the Siemens Stiftung call where one member from the Malawi lab was in the jury. After a thorough selection process Smart Energy Enterprise (SEE), who work with smallholder farmers in supplying solar powered irrigation systems emerged a winner and currently the living lab is yet to develop strategies and identify how the living lab can work together with SEE.
Testing of the first prototype
The first prototype that was created by Make it Green was sent to Malawi in October 2022. It was tested by several end users. Among other things, it was observed that the first prototype was not suitable for Malawi due to the expensive material that was used, and it still had other tech functions to be addressed. This led to a new prototype which now has a functional technology (provide energy for light and charging).
Engagements with stakeholders
We engaged with community leaders, government officials and local government on activities lined up at the living lab i.e. the identification of sites where 10 info-spots will be installed by the Basic Internet Foundation. We also engaged them on user needs assessment preliminary studies to recommend what specifications are appreciated by the end users.
Validation call
Facilitated the Malawi call for entrepreneurs under the Siemens Stiftung call where one member from the Malawi lab was in the jury. After a thorough selection process Smart Energy Enterprise (SEE), who work with smallholder farmers in supplying solar powered irrigation systems emerged a winner and currently the living lab is yet to develop strategies and identify how the living lab can work together with SEE.
Testing of the first prototype
The first prototype that was created by Make it Green was sent to Malawi in October 2022. It was tested by several end users. Among other things, it was observed that the first prototype was not suitable for Malawi due to the expensive material that was used, and it still had other tech functions to be addressed. This led to a new prototype which now has a functional technology (provide energy for light and charging).
In the 18 months, we have been testing the prototype to find the most suitable cooking stove that will suite the end users needs. We have also managed to create demand towords the Bio cooker. The project will have a direct positive impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. It will specifically have impacts on the following SDGs:
1. Good Health and well-being (SDG 3)
2. Promote Gender Equality (SDG 5)
3. Promote quality and Inclusive education (SDG 4)
4. Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8)
5. Climate Action (SDG 13)
specifically the potential expected results includes:
• Providing a sustainable biobased fuel to the stoves and thus favour the business for entrepreneurs and reduce deforestation, Going Green will strengthen the capacity of 3 entrepreneurs in briquette.
• Strengthening long-term capacity and knowledge by providing an electricity source (thermoelectric generator) for lighting so that student can study at night.
• Reducing long-term health hazards and deforestation connected with cooking through the MIG cooking stove to promote reduction of air pollution.
• Freeing up time that can be used more efficiently, the BioCooker to reduce cooking times by 25 % compared with the baseline.
• Improving the long-term livelihood with respect to cooking, Going Green will increase the knowledge and uptake of alternative energy sources in local communities.
1. Good Health and well-being (SDG 3)
2. Promote Gender Equality (SDG 5)
3. Promote quality and Inclusive education (SDG 4)
4. Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8)
5. Climate Action (SDG 13)
specifically the potential expected results includes:
• Providing a sustainable biobased fuel to the stoves and thus favour the business for entrepreneurs and reduce deforestation, Going Green will strengthen the capacity of 3 entrepreneurs in briquette.
• Strengthening long-term capacity and knowledge by providing an electricity source (thermoelectric generator) for lighting so that student can study at night.
• Reducing long-term health hazards and deforestation connected with cooking through the MIG cooking stove to promote reduction of air pollution.
• Freeing up time that can be used more efficiently, the BioCooker to reduce cooking times by 25 % compared with the baseline.
• Improving the long-term livelihood with respect to cooking, Going Green will increase the knowledge and uptake of alternative energy sources in local communities.