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Clean Energy Innovation Facility (CEIF)
UK - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
ODA grant funding that supports clean energy research, development & demonstration (RD&D) to help improve the performance of innovative technologies, and to accelerate the clean energy transition to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change in developing countries
Accelerate to Demonstrate (A2D)
UK - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
The A2D programme contributes to the UK’s £1bn Ayrton Fund commitment to accelerate clean energy innovation in developing countries. A2D will focus on developing innovative technology-based solutions particularly through transformational “lighthouse” pilot demonstration projects in four thematic areas: critical minerals, clean hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation and smart energy.
Climate Investment Funds (CIFs)
UK - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
The $8 billion Climate Investment Funds (CIF) accelerates climate action by empowering transformations in clean technology, energy access, climate resilience, and sustainable forests in developing and middle income countries. The CIF’s large-scale, low-cost, long-term financing lowers the risk and cost of climate financing. It tests new business models, builds track records in unproven markets, and boosts investor confidence to unlock additional sources of finance.
Global Energy Transfer Feed-in Tariff (GETFiT)
UK - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Global Energy Transfer for Feed-in Tariff (GET FiT) Programme was established in 2013 with the main objective of assisting Uganda to pursue a climate resilient low-carbon development path by facilitating private sector investments in renewable electricity generation projects. The support provided was expected to improve access to electricity and promote growth and economic development in Uganda and contribute to climate change mitigation.
Climate Public Private Partnership Programme (CP3)
UK - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Climate Public Private Partnership Programme (CP3) aims to increase low carbon investment in renewable energy, water, energy efficiency and forestry in developing countries. By showing that Low Carbon and Climate Resilient investments can deliver competitive financial returns as well as climate and development impact, CP3 seeks to catalyse new sources of climate finance from institutional investors such as pension funds and sovereign wealth funds.
Potential of sub-seasonal Operational Weather and climate information for building Energy Resilience in Kenya (POWER-Kenya)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Context and Challenges Kenya Vision 2030 identifies energy as a key infrastructural enabler for social and economic development, aiming for universal energy access and 100% renewable energy by 2030. Currently, 54% of Kenyans, and up to 84% in rural areas, lack access to sustainable modern energy, relying on traditional wood fuels for cooking and heating. Kenya's energy generation is particularly sensitive to weather variability, with nearly 50% of electricity coming from weather-sensitive sources like hydro, wind, and solar power. Achieving the ambitious goal of 100% renewables requires doubling the current capacity of these weather-sensitive sources. Despite the growing reliance on renewable energy, Kenya lacks reliable weather and climate information for effective energy planning, particularly on sub-seasonal timescales (weeks to months in advance). This gap impacts crucial decisions such as generator maintenance scheduling, international market trading, water conservation, and future energy storage management. In comparison, other regions like Europe have more advanced user-relevant tools for renewable energy decision-making. Aims and Objectives POWER-Kenya seeks to bridge the gap between Kenya's increasing dependence on weather-sensitive renewable energy and the lack of reliable weather and climate information to support energy planning. The project also aims to build capacity for integrated climate-energy research in Kenya. Its objectives are: Ob1: Deliver a step-change in the underpinning physical science to support affordable, clean energy by advancing understanding of sub-seasonal predictability of weather-sensitive demand and renewables. Ob2: Build combined climate-energy research capacity to continue improvements in maintaining reliable energy supply in Africa, facilitating the creation of risk-informed tools for energy decision-making to benefit both society and the economy. Acknowledging Kenya’s continent-leading capabilities in climate and energy fields individually, the POWER-Kenya project brings together UK and African expertise in electricity demand and renewable energy modelling (Bloomfield, Oludhe, Brayshaw, Olago), with the forefront of research on sub-seasonal predictability (Hirons, Gitau, Woolnough), and expert knowledge of East African climate (Wainwright, Mutemi, Hirons) to conduct world-leading energy-climate research to support this step-change in understanding (Ob1) and build partnerships and capacity (Ob2) capable of supporting Kenya’s climate-smart shift to reliable renewables. Applications and Benefits. Universal access to affordable, clean energy helps emerging economies like Kenya progress towards their Sustainable Development Goals by building businesses and societies capable of producing and consuming sustainably for a climate-resilient future. However, access to reliable energy has societal benefits far beyond sustainable economic growth. Reliable energy access can empower women, and other marginalised groups, by improving access to services such as mobile technology, online banking, educational materials, and employment opportunities. Access to clean energy, especially for currently unconnected rural households, can enhance health outcomes by reducing reliance on traditional wood fuels, which are linked to respiratory diseases. Achieving POWER-Kenya aims to ensure Kenya's shift to clean, weather-sensitive renewables is backed by current scientific thinking and proven techniques that will help deliver the country's aim for reliable energy for all businesses and households. Beyond Kenya, POWER-Kenya outcomes will inform and support the aims of the wider Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) - an institution that coordinates regional cross-border power trade and grid interconnection. KenGen, a key project partner and regional leader, is a utilities member of the EAPP. Through iterative dialogue with POWER-Kenya, KenGen will help co-design the research, by defining energy stress case studies, and ensure it remains solutions-orientated and maximises benefits for Kenya and the broader region.
A Socio-technical Study of Electricity Demand, Efficiency and Flexibility in the Urban Housing Sector of Burkina Faso
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Universal access to a secure electricity supply is essential for the economic development and welfare of the population of Burkina Faso. Rapid urbanisation and an increased use of air conditioning (AC) has led to an 8.4% annual increase in the country's electricity demand since 2010. The nation's generation capacity is unable to keep up, resulting in frequent power outages, and a 45% dependence on energy imports creating high and volatile costs for consumers. An uninterrupted and affordable electricity supply would increase household incomes; improve education of children; save time and money collecting alternative fuels, particularly for women; improve the productivity of businesses; and accelerate the installation of new electricity connections. These direct benefits would reduce current rates of social and economic poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and emigration in the country. Upgrading the country's electricity generation and supply system is a long-term challenge, but in the short-term, our project partners, the Government of Burkina Faso and national electricity utility, SONABEL, believe the implementation of demand side management (DSM) programmes (electricity efficiency and flexibility) in the housing sector (which accounts for 33% of national electricity use) would better balance supply and demand and unlock these beneficial development outcomes. The Government has also committed to reduce electricity demand and improve energy efficiency in homes to cut Green House Gas emissions and help mitigate the effects of climate change, a phenomenon that disproportionately effects the Sahel region where Burkina Faso is located and is itself further exacerbating electricity demand as households are increasingly using AC to stay cool. However, at present, there is almost no data on household electricity demand, efficiency or flexibility in Burkina Faso for a successful, evidence based implementation of DSM. The aims and objectives of this research and partnership building project will address this substantial gap in knowledge. The project has been developed collaboratively with the Government of Burkina Faso and SONABEL to ensure the research delivers the data and evidence they need. For the direct research, a socio-technical residential electricity study will be undertaken with 100 households in Ouagadougou. Field measurements of electricity demands and internal temperatures of homes will provide empirical insights into households' electricity load profiles, use of AC, time-of-use and peak loads. An efficiency and flexibility survey will be completed to understand households' current practices and opportunities for improving energy efficiency at home, as well as identifying load shifting and curtailment actions that households would be willing to implement to prevent power outages. Diversity in responses due to the socio-technical characteristics of the households and dwellings will be studied. Simultaneously a range of partnership building activities (e.g. research visits, project meetings, workshops, mini conference) will be undertaken. These are tailored to the stage of the project programme to either inform the delivery of the direct research or form a platform for discussion, dissemination and impact generation of the research findings. An international network of 6 Universities will be created where future research on energy and development challenges in Burkina Faso and other African countries will stem. The network will also act as a platform for ongoing mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and skills. To deliver development impact within the project's life time, workshops with the Government and SONABEL will turn the research findings into evidence based recommendations to inform future policy and DSM programmes. Project partner GGGI will use their extensive network, to engage wider stakeholders and beneficiaries, so a range of routes to impact are achieved.
Energy Catalyst Accelerator Programme (ECAP) Rounds 9 and 10
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Provides incubator and business accelerator support to help companies to grow and to commercialise their innovations.
Efficient Photoelectrochemical Green Energy System based on Hematite Photoanodes Heterostructured with Selected 2D Transitional Metal Dichalcogenides
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project addresses the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions by enhancing photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting technologies, which convert solar energy into storable hydrogen fuel. With the increasing global focus on mitigating climate change, the development of efficient, renewable energy technologies is paramount. PEC water splitting, a process that uses sunlight to produce hydrogen, presents a promising pathway to this goal. Our initiative centres on improving the efficiency of hematite-based PEC devices through innovative heterostructures incorporating two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), such as SnS₂, MoS₂, SnSe₂, and MoSe₂. Hematite has long been studied for its potential in solar-driven water splitting due to its strong visible light absorption and favourable theoretical solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency. However, its practical application has been limited by issues such as poor electrical conductivity, slow charge transport, and high recombination rates of electron-hole pairs. By integrating hematite with 2D TMDCs, we aim to overcome these challenges, enhancing the material’s performance through improved charge transfer, reduced recombination losses, and optimised band alignment. This approach promises to boost STH conversion efficiency and achieve the 10% benchmark set for practical applications, making a significant contribution to the development of scalable, clean energy solutions. The project not only advances scientific knowledge but also brings substantial benefits to researchers and institutions in Africa. The collaboration between UK and African institutions facilitates access to cutting-edge facilities and expertise in the UK, which are critical for the successful implementation of this research. African researchers will have the opportunity to train on advanced characterisation tools and gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art PEC technologies. This exposure is invaluable for building their technical skills and enhancing their research capabilities. Moreover, the project fosters networking and collaborative opportunities between African and UK researchers, promoting the exchange of knowledge and ideas. This international collaboration helps to strengthen research networks, opening doors for future partnerships and joint ventures. African institutions will benefit from the establishment of sustainable partnerships and the development of local expertise in advanced energy technologies. Additionally, the project includes outreach and dissemination activities, which will raise awareness and engage various stakeholders, including the public and industry players. These activities will not only highlight the advancements in PEC technology but also showcase the contributions of African researchers to global scientific progress. In summary, this project is poised to make significant strides in improving PEC water-splitting efficiency, with the added advantage of enhancing research capacity and collaboration between African and UK institutions. By addressing key challenges in renewable energy technology and providing valuable training and networking opportunities, the project aims to contribute to the global transition to clean energy while strengthening the scientific community in Africa.
Circular Microgrids: Circular Economy Pathways for Renewable Microgrids in Africa
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) highlights that over 50% of Sub-Saharan Africa's population remains without electricity and in some rural areas access plummets to as low as 5%. In response, our project leverages the principles of the circular economy to pioneer the development and deployment of cheaper and cleaner renewable energy microgrids across Africa. Recognizing the continent's urgent need for systemic and sustainable changes in energy access, reliability, and generation, our initiative addresses these issues by tapping into the growing global stock of electronic waste from the first generation of electric vehicles (EVs). By repurposing components such as lithium-ion batteries, power-converters, and electrical motors, which are unsuitable for transport but remain functional for stationary applications, we offer a novel solution to the challenges of energy generation, storage and distribution. These components can be integrated into solar energy storage within microgrids, micro-wind or hydro generation systems and energy controllers, presenting a unique opportunity to bolster renewable energy infrastructure at lower cost while mitigating the environmental impact of electronic waste. The project's objectives are to Create knowledge and build capacity for repurposing electronic waste in microgrid development. Develop a circular value chain framework and business model for microgrid applications. Implement circular economy principles for cost-effective energy storage solutions. Deepen understanding of the dynamics between energy producers and consumers within the African context. Co-create and advocate for circular microgrids through stakeholder engagement and policy formulation across sub-Saharan Africa. Establish a Pan-African, multisectoral, interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence in circular microgrids. The project will be delivered through the Pan-African, multisectoral, interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence—Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre (CEPREC). CEPREC will serve as a triple helix hub, fostering collaboration among academia, government and industry through workshops, training sessions, and knowledge exchange activities. The project brings together engineering and social sciences expertise from De Montfort University, University of Warwick alongside policy and impact expertise from Chatham House, and partnerships with universities and governments from six African countries. The team will include 26 academics (11 UK & 15 African), 26 Researcher and innovation Associates (5 UK & 21 African) and 16 PhD scholars (2 UK & 14 African). The project, which aligns with the national priorities and targets of the participating countries, has strong government and industrial support with national governments pledging support that includes participating in the steering committee and utilizing project outcomes to shape national policies. Similarly, participating universities and industrial partners have endowed PhD-studentships, which will be jointly supervised by UK and African academics. Aligned with the Ayrton themes of Low Carbon Supplies and Smart Delivery, our project is poised to make a significant impact on the delivery of Affordable and Clean Energy, in line with SDG7 as well as reduce the environmental footprint of energy solutions, contributing to SDG12&SDG 13. Operating across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Namibia, and Rwanda, the project will offer a comprehensive perspective on the energy landscape in sub-Saharan Africa, while also providing insights tailored to each country’s specific needs and opportunities. By adopting an approach that is rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and a clear focus on sustainable development, our project is poised to deliver transformative impacts in the beneficiary countries, creating a paradigm shift in the way energy is produced, consumed, and thought about in Africa.
Compound-Semiconductor-Enabled Renewable Energy System for Powering Critical Buildings in Africa
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Africa’s power supply systems for critical loads, such as healthcare facilities, are transitioning to a more sustainable, efficient and reliable future. This is driven by the integration of renewable energy, which includes AC and DC power conversion enabled by power semiconductors switching at increasingly high frequencies (e.g., 10–100 kHz). The semiconductors’ operation causes power loss, reducing energy efficiency, and they are the most vulnerable components, counting for 20%–30% of the failure of power conversion systems. Improving the performance of the semiconductors will thus provide significant benefits in energy saving and system reliability improvement. For example, a 1% increase in efficiency in solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters and a 1% in reliability will make 150 GWh more energy available to critical healthcare facilities in Africa. This project’s overarching aim is to leverage the latest advancements in Silicon Carbon (SiC) semiconductor technology to develop high-efficiency and reliable solar photovoltaic-battery energy storage system (PV-BESS) for critical loads. Such compound semiconductors have low conduction loss, fast switching speed, and high operating temperature, which provides all potential for developing low-carbon PV-BESS. Challenges are that high-frequency switching of SiC semiconductors can increase thermal stress and create electromagnetic interference (EMI) due to their high-speed voltage transients (e.g. dv/dt over 10kV/us), affecting the reliability of the PV-BESS and lifespan of critical components such as capacitors and batteries. SiC semiconductors exhibit various material defects and variability, leading to variations and high non-linearities in their electro-thermal performances. Integrating SiC semiconductors into PV-BESS requires a better understanding of induced parasitic parameters and their coupling with components, including capacitors, inductances and gate drivers. To address these issues, the project has three research work packages (WP1-3): Develop accurate characterisation and modelling methods for semiconductor devices (WP1): Accurate SiC electro-thermal models and lifetime models will provide a new understanding of SiC semiconductors, which will be built to evaluate component efficiency and reliability under various environments. Integration optimisation of SiC-based PV-BESS (WP2): This involves studying and modelling the multiphysics coupling between SiC semiconductors and other components, investigation of induced parasitic parameters and system-level topology design of PV-BESS to reduce power conversion stages, thus improving overall efficiency and reliability. Validation and operation optimisation of SiC-based BESS in various operation conditions (WP3): This will investigate integration strategies and verify the benefits brought by SiC devices' advantages to ensuring the BESS’s high-efficiency and reliable operation in both normal and fault conditions. The main deliverables will include validated tools and a testbed for modelling and characterisation of SiC semiconductors (WP1), hardware-in-the-loop demonstrator for validating the SiC-based PV-BESS (WP2), and optimal operation strategies for PV-BESS (WP3). These will be useful to physics R&D institutions, renewable equipment vendors, and power system operators. The project will involve international partnerships with the University of Nairobi, with support from Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) and Toshiba Europe. Researchers involved will benefit from the unique collaboration and training, and the project will help Africa build new physics research capacities in the renewable energy and semiconductor sectors. The project output will boost the PV-BESS’ energy conversion efficiency by 1%–2%, and extend their mean-time-between-failures by 20%. Developed compound semiconductor technologies will have a wider impact across applied industries, including electrified transportation sectors, robotics and aerospace. The integration and BESS technologies can be extended to generic low—and medium-voltage energy systems.
Temperature-sensitive Earth-abundant Catalysts for green Hydrogen production
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Hydrogen production via water electrolysis technology has been a major focus of discussions for practical carbon-neutral transportation fuel and a key component for other chemical syntheses for the past decade. Particularly, Africa’s total announced electrolyser pipeline capacity has reached 114 gigawatts. However, the costs of water electrolysis to be reported in the range of 2-5 £/kg H2, which is still twice as expensive as the existing fossil fuel-based technologies. Among various electrolyser technologies for hydrogen production, alkaline water electrolysis is considered to be the most mature type for industrial scale-up and has strong cost-effectiveness. Despite these advantages, its cold-start nature, unfortunately, requires a certain ramping-up time (approximately 1 hour). This makes it challenging to integrate with renewable energy sources, which are difficult to predict. Alkaline water electrolysis at elevated starting temperatures offers a promising solution to enhance catalytic reactivity and reduce required electric energy, increasing cost-effectiveness. The cobalt- and nickel-based catalysts, known for their prominent temperature dependence, could be the key to enhancing the hydrogen production rate. In this study, we aim to establish a feasible fabrication method of temperature-sensitive catalysts for alkaline water electrolysis and to explore the multi-element catalysts' physical and chemical bonding structure change at elevated temperature conditions. Exploring the underlying mechanism of intrinsic kinetics change is a challenging yet crucial step towards more efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production. The ultimate goal of the proposed collaboration entitled "Temperature-sensitive Earth-abundant Catalysts for green HYDROgen production (TECHydro)" is not to develop new catalysts but to discover new combinations that have a high-temperature sensitivity and explore underlying principles, giving rise to fresh perspectives of the developed catalyst for their application to AWE. The outcomes will provide a methodological achievement in cost-effective catalyst preparation. Moreover, the project will make a rigid bridge for further joint-research funding applications and staff exchange between African (South Africa and Kenya) and UK partners. We believe that the outcomes of this study could set benchmarks for hydrogen production that operates more efficiently in South Africa and Kenya's hot climate, contributing to the global transition towards a hydrogen economy.
Floating Instream Tidal and Solar (FITS) Power Plant - Nepal Pilot Project
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Harvesting hydrokinetic energy from running river water presents a highly attractive addition to the existing renewable energy sectors. Critically, and unlike most other renewables, this technology guarantees a predictable and consistent energy output which can contribute to the baseload power requirements of its energy off-takers. AEL has developed an innovative hybrid technology which couples run-of-river hydrokinetic generation with solar - the Floating Instream Tidal and Solar (FITS) power plant. FITS technology has been specifically optimized for river deployments, and is scalable to enable both energy access and utility scale power generation. This project will deliver the first fully developed FITS pilot, supplying constant renewable power to an off-grid community in rural Nepal. The electricity supplied will be used to provide lighting and cooking facilities to households in the community, and will additionally power water filtration and pumping equipment, providing access to clean water for drinking and water for agricultural industry.
Harvest Cool
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Agriculture plays a significant role in the Nigerian economy, contributing 22.35% GDP (2021) and employing \>70% of its population at subsistence level(1). Onions are a lucrative, dry season irrigated crop and ~2 Mt/annum are produced, largely in Northern Nigeria. Opportunities for onion farmers are not fully realised, due to low investment in agronomic practices, and post-harvest losses (up to 50%). Traditional drying of onions could be replaced by a cool supply chain from field to market, however, access to energy for chilling hampers this initiative. The Harvest Cool project represents stakeholders from farming business, agricultural services, and technology providers who will deliver an integrated energy system to develop a low carbon cold storage system for onions grown in Nigeria. The partnership comprises PyroGenesys (biomass pyrolysis technology); Lavender Fields (agricultural produce aggregator and marketer); the Nigeria Agribusiness Group and Agrolog (agricultural extension services, Nigeria) and University College London (Life Cycle Assessment input). The project builds on a feasibility study carried out by Lavender Fields, identifying farming communities which sell to a major onion market (Karfi) in Kano, Nigeria, with a demonstrable need to develop cool supply chains for perishable crops. The project is innovative in bringing together unique engineering designs which address cold storage for transport from the field to a central storage point. The project is also innovative in the conception of a business model which considers energy provision; the benefits of food waste reduction; adding value to low income farming communities; and a circular carbon farming system with potential to improve agronomic conditions and carbon sequestration in soils. The project will be assessed quantitatively through Life Cycle Assessment of global warming potential (GWP) of the overall system and qualitatively through a programme of community interactions, demonstrating the project's contribution to addressing SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG13 Climate Change. REFERENCES (1) https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/
Rice-straw powered biowaste to energy
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This consortium, let by Carnot Ltd, seeks to develop the world's first profitable rice-straw bioenergy demonstrator for a rural community in Lombok Island, Indonesia. Rice straw is separated from the grains during harvesting and either combusted (producing CO2) or left to decompose (producing methane with 25\* Global Warming Potential) due to challenges with harvesting it, particularly in flooded paddy fields (a common occurrence). Straw Innovations has created innovative technology that overcomes the barriers to harvesting it in all weathers, unlocking a potential 300Mt of rice straw generated in Asia every year. Rice straw has high ash content (around 20%), comprising about 75% silica. This, combined with other components in the straw (chlorine, potassium) causes melting and slagging / fouling in boilers when combusted. Hence, it is not an easy fuel to chop or combust. PyroGenesys have developed a lower-temperature pyrolysis process which can convert rice straw into Biochar, a carbon-sequestering fertiliser that can be used by the rice farmers, and biofuel. The carbon sequestered can be traded on carbon removal markets. Surplus biofuel not used to generate electricity can be sold. Electricity is a low-value commodity and renewable electricity projects will typically require very large scale to be profitable and attract funding required from investors. PyroGenesys' process solves this problem by opening up two very high-value revenue streams. Carnot is developing ceramic engine gensets with double the efficiency of state-of-the-art diesel gensets, capable of operating on all fuels. These will provide electricity to the rice mills as their base load as well as electricity to a rural community. Integrating Carnot's gensets enables revenues generated by biofuel sales to be maximised. Indonesia: * Is the world's 5th largest GHG emitter. * Is the largest producer of biofuels worldwide. * Has mandated to convert a significant portion of its palm oil into FAME biodiesel. There is a reluctance to move to renewable energy due to fossil fuel sunk costs/subsidies and no proven profitable off-grid low-carbon energy business model. This demonstrator project aims to be the catalyst to breaking the deadlock and unleashing investment into Indonesia's enormous renewable energy potential. Key project outputs: * Pilot-scale demonstration of business model feasibility * 200,000kg rice-straw feedstock; * 76,000kg value-added-biochar/53,200kg carbon sequestration/80,000kg biofuel; * 2.28MWh electricity provided to rice mill.
Technical and Societal Innovation for Delivering Access to Community Wide Affordable Cylindered CBG for Cooking and Sustainable Fertiliser
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Natural Synergies Ltd (NS) Industrial Research project "Technical/Societal Innovation for Delivering Community Wide Affordable Cylindered CBG for Cooking and Sustainable Fertiliser" is to establish new data and knowledge, which would eventually lead to establishing an demonstration waste to energy process based around an advanced anaerobic digestion treatment process that has been developed by NS. This seminal development work will utilise a sectoral system of innovation which will eventually lead to nationwide joint partnerships, between NS the (technology provider) and poorer sectors of the local community. NS together with project partners, are involved in a project that concerns advanced pre-treatment and processing of faecal sludge and organic waste, providing enhanced, efficient energy security/generation, utilising locally available resource and GHG emission savings. NS aims in this Industrial Research project, to develop a stand-alone enhanced energy pre-processing technology, for rural and peri-urban locations in developing countries, increasing the efficiency of energy generation for the supply of affordable clean energy, for cooking and transport to the poor and marginalised local community and also with the production and supply of a sustainable source of fertiliser to local farmers. The decentralised and localised waste to energy plant, will also serve as a low cost faecal sludge management system and organic waste treatment facility, preventing the dumping of waste into waterways and land, providing benefits to both the environment and health to the local community. During the course of the project, the team will work in close co-operation with existing co-operatives and where necessary, expand and create further entrepreneurial partnerships, encouraging women's empowerment, social inclusion and security in the overall waste supply chain and product sales and marketing. This will lead to establishing a circular economy for waste treatment with close co-operation between the energy plant operator and the local community. Although specialised components will be sourced in the UK, NS will establish non-specialised component manufacture/build using local industries leading to job creation in DC, economies in plant build, short inbound/outbound feedstock and product supply logistics, marketing, sales and service supply chain.
BioGas MicroGrid in a box (BGMG)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
BGMG (Bio Gas Micro Grid in a box) will develop a hybrid renewable energy hub for deployment in off grid communities. It combines solar, wind and biogas energy resources in one drop-in containerised unit with electrical energy stored and deployed from batteries and waste heat recovered for local utilisation. The project expands the work of the partners in the recent highly successful Energy Catalyst WEGEN project that resulted in development and subsequent commercial sales of a novel 6kW plug-and-play biogas generator technology. The partners include WEGEN collaborators CAGE Technologies Ltd (CTL)/OakTec (power system technology developer), Sistema Bio (biogas system OEM and system trial and demonstration) and Sutton Power Engineering ( generator OEM and supplier of solar hardware). The partners will develop an intelligent energy management platform to integrate, manage and distribute the bio/solar/wind energy inputs based on a development of the existing CTL/OakTec intelligent control platform. Additional outputs will be an application of the WEGEN biogas engine technology to a new modular liquid cooled engine family that will allow a range of power outputs to suit application requirements delivering world leading fuel efficiency and low emissions. The liquid cooled engines will employ CHP technology to capture waste heat for distribution. CTL and Sutton have considerable experience of hybrid power systems having deployed LPG-solar-battery systems for site welfare with the HS2 rail project at Euston, London and more recently hydrogen-solar-battery hybrid to power the cruise ship terminal in Orkney. BGMG will support the development of carbon neutral microgrids in sub-saharan Africa and India and a trial system will be deployed to Kenya and be tested in a high profile location. Applications include stand-alone power for large food and agricultural businesses, villages, schools, hospitals and health-centres and public buildings. Bio-waste from the immediate location including food can be used in the feedstock. As global energy prices rise the business case for BGMG becomes stronger. Whilst the system will be more costly than a simpler generator or solar array it can be funded to the customer on a 'machinery as a service' basis by Sistema's established easy payment business model and will enjoy minimal fuel and running costs over its lifetime giving it a much lower lifetime cost than conventional fossil based power systems. Immediate commercial opportunities include powering larger farms, food production businesses including rice mills where rice straw is used as part of the AD feedstock, agricultural processing and charging EV's.
Halophyte-based Energy & Agro-ecological Transitioning (HEAT)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The Halophyte-based Energy & Agro-ecological Transitioning (HEAT) Project seeks to commercialise halophytic agro-ecological approaches and bio-energy technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa by introducing saltwater-irrigated biomass production in degraded soils for localised transitions to clean energy and land regeneration. Targeting both bio-energy production and carbon sequestration, the project will test a combined integrated production and processing model in tandem with a service-based business model with existing partners and investors with the aims of operationalising/commercialising the results by the end of the project timeline. The project will be undertaken in Ghana and Namibia with a range of partners from the UK, EU, and African registered entities with a track record of working together in various global geographies. With a strong focus on socio-economic development for rural communities, gender inclusivity, and safe access to clean energy, HEAT expects to exploit the results of the 24-month project for the long-term benefit of communities and existing consortia in the three focus regions of West Africa, South-West Africa, and South Asia.
SPITFIRE: Self-Powered Biomass Stove For Remote Communities
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Globally, 3 billion people have no access to clean cooking, relying instead on dirty-burning charcoal as primary cooking and water heating fuel. The release of CO and PM (linked to \>4M deaths/year) led the WHO to declare pollution caused by unclean cooking as "the world's largest single environmental health risk". As its alternative, the use of firewood substantially influences deforestation, due to unregulated foraging for firewood, while negatively impacting wildlife. Quality of life in Sub-Saharan Africa is also severely impacted by lack of (domestic and institutional) access to electricity. According to the WDI, 72% of Zambia's population has no access to electricity. The SPITFIRE-stove will address both the major unmet need for clean cooking solutions and the lack of access to electricity. This will be achieved by developing an affordable, low-emission, biomass-pellet-burning clean-cookstove that generates a no-added-fuel electricity surplus. The institutional SPITFIRE-stove will use temperature-controlled airflow regulation to ensure complete combustion to eliminate \>80% of CO and particulate-matter emissions compared to traditional combustion. Airflow regulation will be via an electric fan, powered by a thermoelectric generator (TEG), which will both power the electric fan and provide an electricity surplus for storage in a low-voltage battery with charge-out ports for charging/powering small electronic devices. Furthermore, cooling of the TEG by an integrated water-cooling system will deliver a free supply of heated water. SPITFIRE will develop: -Novel high-temperature thermoelectric materials and production processes for the TEGs, -15kW burner technology that allows intelligent, temperature-controlled airflow regulation; -Institutional-scale, sustainable biomass-pellet-burning stove. Integration of the scaled-up stove and burner design with the novel high-temperature TEG module via hot- and cold-side heat receptors/exchangers will require close collaboration between the partners and multiple iterations of system level modelling and simulation. The SPITFIRE project ultimately aims to deliver a final stove design, assemble 30 demonstrator products, and validate stove performance in field trials within institutional kitchens in public services and local enterprises such as restaurants, schools, and orphanages, in our primary target market, Zambia. The SPITFIRE-stove will therefore address the clean cooking and energy dilemma by; -Delivering clean, sustainable biomass-burning cooking stoves with low emissions, -Delivering cooking stoves that will utilise reduced-cost biomass pellet fuels that are approximately one-third of the price of LPG and half of the price of charcoal, Ensuring reliability of energy supply for Zambia and beyond by utilising locally-sourced sustainable forestry for the biomass pellets.
OxReGen Wind Turbine Mini-grid Pilot
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
In Somalia, only 15% of the population has access to electricity (Somalia National Development Plan). 90% of this electricity is supplied through isolated, diesel-based mini-grids (World Bank), which are costly and unsustainable. Furthermore, reliance on diesel generators does not support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services by 2030\. Of all the countries in Africa, Somalia has the highest potential for onshore wind power (African Development Bank). Therefore, implementing an affordable and reliable wind energy solution is the obvious choice for increasing energy access in Somalia. This is the aim of the project. The project team is comprised of members from the University of Oxford, ÉireComposites and Save the Children International. They will develop an innovative wind turbine mini-grid system, that will be both affordable and reliable. The mini-grid system will store energy to power electrical appliances, even in the absence of wind. This system will be constructed using locally sourced, off-the-shelf components, making it simple and easy to install. In addition, there will be minimal maintenance that anyone can be trained to carry out. The team will identify a test site in Somalia to install a wind turbine mini-grid system. Implementing the technology in a community that does not have access to electricity will be revolutionary. The power generated could be used to: refrigerate vaccines; power internet access; pump groundwater; provide lighting; and/or charge mobile phones. Furthermore, having a reliable source of renewable electricity will increase income-generating activities and remove the need to purchase fuel. From a broader perspective, in sub-Saharan Africa, only 40% of health centres, half of schools, and 28% of the rural population have access to electricity (World Bank). To continue serving these needs in the future, a social enterprise will be formed to manufacture more wind turbine mini-grid systems. The aim of the social enterprise will be to increase access to renewable, affordable, and reliable energy in sub-Saharan Africa. This project, and the energy produced from these systems, will have the potential to change lives.
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