In the first reporting period the SUNNY project built the foundations needed to design, test, and later scale sustainable energy solutions in displacement settings in Rwanda and Uganda.
The work on context and evidence created a solid knowledge base on how people use energy, their socio-economic situation, local institutions, and the environment. This included literature reviews, mapping of previous interventions, field visits, participatory workshops, and a 700-household survey in refugee and host communities. SUNNY analysed national and local rules for energy provision, mapped waste and biowaste flows, and translated these insights into requirements for the SUNNY technologies. An eco-design toolkit and a structured way of defining use cases were prepared so that technical, social, environmental, and business aspects could be considered together.
The work on capacity building and co-creation identified training needs for different groups (e.g. users, local technicians, institutions) and drafted an overall training programme. Approaches for involving communities and local actors more actively in planning and testing the solutions were developed. Initial activities on circularity and local value chains started, including mapping of repair and recycling structures and a first practical repair training.
On the technology side, SUNNY agreed a design and validation roadmap and clarified how partners would collaborate on adapting and upgrading the different solutions (clean cooking, solar home systems, refrigeration, biogas, and irrigation). A study in Uganda with more than 200 participants assessed how households use energy in the context of the water-energy-food nexus and what they need for cooking, cooling, and irrigation, providing concrete parameters for the design of the SUNNY systems.
Preparatory work also progressed for later implementation, monitoring, and impact assessment. This included planning demonstration activities and sites, outlining how technical, environmental, social, and economic impacts would be measured, and designing approaches to analyse gender and socio-economic effects.
SUNNY advanced its market and business work by developing and testing tools to understand purchasing power and willingness to pay. Initial fieldwork in both demonstration sites confirmed strong demand for cleaner energy solutions and a clear interest in flexible payment models such as pay-as-you-go, especially among women-led households. A range of possible financing mechanisms was mapped to identify options that could make SUNNY solutions more affordable.
Visibility and networking were strengthened through a visual identity, website, social media, communication materials, and participation in events in Europe and Africa. SUNNY also connected with related initiatives and prepared a board to support replication of successful approaches.
Project management, ethics, and data management structures were put in place, including regular coordination meetings, a shared online workspace, ethics approvals in both countries, and the first Data Management Plan. Work scheduled to start later was aligned with these early findings so that upcoming activities build directly on the evidence from the first reporting period.
