Improving energy access and climate resilience in Africa’s fringe communities

Project Information

AfricaEnergyParks

Grant agreement ID: 101147383

DOI

10.3030/101147383

EC signature date 2 May 2024

Start date 1 June 2024

End date 31 May 2028

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 6 552 152,50

EU contribution

€ 4 994 556,75

Coordinated by

AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AfricaEnergyParks (Improving energy access and climate resilience in Africa’s fringe communities)

Reporting period: 2024-06-01 to 2025-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

For Africa to meet its SDG targets by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it will require over 900 million people to be granted sustainable energy access. The model used so far has been to expand grid electricity to underserved and off-grid communities. This pathway has proven to be slow, expensive, and commercially unsustainable. An alternative pathway is to develop self-sufficient rural renewable energy systems (or parks) that take into account the needs and capacities of local populations through a participatory approach. Furthermore, the energy system must be based on a nexus approach, linked to the provision of water and food, and delivering benefits to people and the environment.

AfricaEnergyParks is a concept for demonstrating this pathway and providing African countries with a model that can be replicated. Three Key Results Areas (KRAs) will be used to gauge the overall impact of the project: a) level of energy access achieved (electricity, cooking and PUE), b) improvement in the livelihoods of the population served (incomes, health, education, water and food security), and c) the improvements in the recovery and regeneration of the local environment.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

- The ensure microgrid installation, the project secured 6 acres of land at Arigong under a 50-year lease sufficient for all microgrid components. The team obtained the necessary operational permit from the Ministry of Energy and an Environmental Permit from the EPA, and completed site layout designs to enable construction activities.
- A technical basis for integrated PV–BESS–BCHP system design has been developed, consolidating the load/resource inputs and component constraints, and establishing a repeatable workflow to inform sizing and operational feasibility. These activities support design decision-making without implying final design closure.
- The biomass combined heat and power (BCHP) plant requires a consistent supply of wood fuel as its energy source to generate electricity. In alignment with this requirement, the PUE user needs survey report has detailed the strategy for sustainable biomass production. This strategy is specifically designed to ensure a reliable, environmentally responsible supply of wood fuel for the BCHP, thereby supporting electricity generation for the selected rural community in Ghana.
- Preparatory work for testing and validation of the microgrid system and its components was initiated. This included ongoing discussions on digital solutions for data collection, cloud storage, and data transfer to ensure robust monitoring and reliable performance assessment of the BCHP, PV, and BESS subsystems. A transportable Power Quality Analyzer has been acquired, and relevant training is underway, enabling detailed electrical measurements during laboratory and field testing.
The Site Acceptance Test (SAT) plan has been outlined, specifying the parameters to be checked and measured before deployment in Ghana.
- To meet immediate wood biomass needs for the microgrid, fuel wood obtained from land clearing on the project site has been stored for use. Furthermore, for future biomass needs, a 10-acre woodlot plantation has been established with technical support from FC. Over 5,000 seedlings were planted in August 2025. The woodlot plantation will be one of the energy stocks to feed the PUE system of the project.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The adoption of the CREMA governance framework ensures community ownership and long-term sustainability of renewable energy value chains. Biomass resource potential was quantified, and BCHP operational sensitivities were tested in scenario studies to inform assumptions about the value chain for renewable fuels. These results provide an evidence base that will be refined as feedstock and operation inputs mature.

The project is also collecting and collating relevant datasets to establish baseline data against which the social, environmental, and economic sustainability analysis of the project will be performed. For example, the completion of an SDG Report at M12 has provided relevant baseline data on societal attributes (e.g. income levels, cultural practices, energy requirements and usage, etc.) of communities in the project area before the application of the developed project solutions. Thus, during and after the uptake of the developed project solutions, sustainability analysis can be performed.