UNESCO chair projects

We have ever since established that we are on a mission to develop renewable energy as a sustainable energy for all. The 2030 Agenda clearly outlines the path towards resilience within a framework to link energy services and local development. The African Union has also highlighted renewable energy at core to AU’s Agenda 2063. The LEAP-RE partnership therefore developed as a pathway to promote the empowerment of local research and innovation through Africa-Europe cooperation.

For five years, the LEAP-RE programme will be implementing and building governance capacity, strategies and mechanisms for science, technology and innovation (STI) on renewable energy. It involves 85 research partners from 33 countries in Europe and Africa supporting innovation and building renewable energy solutions together. To create long-term partnership of stakeholders, the programme has taken a quadruple helix approach: government, research & academia, private sector, and civil society.

LEAP-RE is based on a 3 pillars model:

Pillar 1: External research funding and capacity building activities

Pillar 2: Internal consortium research and innovation projects and capacity building activities

Pillar 3: Management, coordination, monitoring, evaluation, and development of the future long-term partnership

In pursuit of Goal 7, providing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, the Chair takes lead in three principle projects within the LEAP RE partnership. The Chair leads research in the, i) Sustainable Energy Transition and Digitization of smart Mini-Grids for Africa ii) Productive Use in RUral African Markets using Standalone Solar iii) Geothermal Atlas for Africa

Project Period:

2020-2025

Source of funding:

European Commission

This research project is being implemented across Algeria, Kenya, Rwanda with the aim to tackle the African mini-grid sector as a whole. The Chair contributes in building solutions to challenging topics of technological, energy planning, digitalization research and development and related capacity building by focusing on communities to be electrified. Focused on both green-field projects (communities being electrified for the first time) and brown-field cases (repowering old mini-grids with renewable sources), the project delves into Algerian, Kenyan, and Rwandan national case studies. The current reliance on poor-quality energy sources like kerosene, biomass, and inefficient generators has hindered the potential of rural populations.

Traditional diesel generators, though quick to install, prove costly and environmentally detrimental in the long run. Recognizing the need for change, SETaDiSMA champions hybrid systems, incorporating renewables, batteries, and optional backup generators. As a strategic move to catch up to technological advancements, SETaDiSMA has led the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the development of smart mini-grids, revolutionizing the energy sector.

Impact:

The SETaDiSMA project employs an innovative approach integrating computer-based simulation and mathematical optimization techniques to meticulously design microgrids that align with local conditions. This comprehensive methodology takes into account various factors such as energy demand, resource availability, and technology mix, ensuring the creation of cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions tailored to specific contexts. As a result of this approach, SETaDiSMA has significantly expanded energy access to rural populations, bringing sustainable and reliable electricity to previously underserved communities.

Moreover, the project has initiated an online course specifically centered on Mini-Grids-Digitalization-Entrepreneurship. This educational initiative actively engages students from across Africa, with over 20 Masters and Ph.D. candidates currently participating. Through this course, students are immersed in the decision-making processes within both African and European energy ecosystems, providing them with invaluable insights and practical exposure to real-world challenges and solutions in the domain of microgrids and digitalization within the energy sector. This engagement fosters a collaborative learning environment, nurturing a new generation of experts capable of contributing meaningfully to the advancement and evolution of energy systems in the region.

This research project aims to revolutionize cooking methods in rural African communities in Mozambique, Rwanda and Kenya. The Chair takes the lead in developing a stand alone solar cooking appliance. The main objective is to tackle the challenges posed by traditional cooking methods by looking at an array of factors including energy consumption, types of food, existing cooking equipment, and cooking times, providing crucial insights into behavior of indigenous communities.

Data collected will be used to track changes in cooking behavior with regard to fuel use, meals prepared and the cost of cooking with electricity versus other cooking fuels and technologies such as firewood, charcoal, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene. The PURAMS team shall then engage policy makers to highlight the benefits of electric cooking and recommend policy interventions to foster health benefits.  

Impact:

The initiative targeting Mozambique, Rwanda, and Kenya has led to the development of a solar-powered clean cooking solution specifically designed for these regions. Notably, 170 households across these countries have been actively involved in an electric cooking study. In Kenya, a subgroup of 100 recently electrified households was equipped with electric pressure cookers (EPC) as part of the study, and their adoption and usage patterns were closely monitored over a period of 6 months. Preliminary findings from the Kenyan households underscore the remarkable efficiency offered by the EPC. Users have recognized significant benefits in terms of cost reduction and decreased cooking time, indicating positive reception and practical advantages of utilizing this electric cooking technology.

This initiative draws sustenance from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. The Chair contributes to the mapping of geothermal resources for the development of African electricity production as well as sustainable use of natural resources such as the vast geothermal potential for electricity production and various direct applications. The objective of this research project focuses on identifying and mapping low to high enthalpy geothermal resources across the continent. By consolidating geoscientific, technological, and social data, this project seeks to create a comprehensive atlas accessible both in print and online. This valuable resource will serve scientists, developers, policymakers, investors, and decision-makers in assessing, planning, and executing geothermal projects. The GAA serves as a compendium of present-day geothermal intelligence, with flagship information diffusion, facilitating stakeholders' support for African geothermal energy development.

Impact:

The project will unfold through two key actions. First, it involves collating existing data through collaborations among African and European partners, encompassing geological, surface installation, and social aspects. Second, this information will be processed and presented in the Geothermal Atlas for Africa, alongside the identification of knowledge gaps to guide future courses and projects. Ultimately, users can access metadata information directly the maps of structural and geological data from 10 geothermal play-types based on the geodynamic environments encountered in Africa:

• Eastern branch of the East African Rift System;

• Red-Sea and Gulf of Aden including Afar;

• Western branch of the East African Rift System and Southern Rifts;

• Deep reservoirs from sedimentary basins;

• North Africa (Mediterranean collision zone);

• Oceanic and continental mantle plumes (Comoros, Cap Verde, Darfur);

• Oceanic fracture zones off-shore & on land (Cameroon line);

• Hot-springs & heat anomalies from basement discontinuities;

• Deep EGS;

• Ground Heat Pumps (12-24°C average).

The African electric appliance industry has particularly been flooded with poor quality and counterfeit products that often don’t perform as expected. A general lack of accountability by the traders, due to the limited enforcement capacity by regulators, leaves consumers counting losses. Significant progress has been made in access to electricity in the last decade, but these gains are disconnected, specifically enduring problems of clean cooking.

In seeking to spark a new approach to clean cooking, the MECS Programme sought to encompass an array of studies on modern energy carriers, spanning BioLPG, liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, biogas, and electricity. Strathmore University, through the UNESCO Chair plays a pivotal role in the MECS programme, aimed at addressing the pervasive challenges linked to traditional cooking practices as well as develop an outlook of the electric cooking quality ecosystem prevalent in numerous African regions. The initiative zeroes in on standalone solar electric cookers, particularly electric pressure cookers (EPCs), as an environmentally sound and resource-efficient cooking alternative.

Impact:

Extensive data was garnered through comprehensive surveys and hands-on experimental campaigns conducted within households in Rwanda and Kenya. These surveys captured nuanced insights into cooking habits, preferences, and attitudes towards electric cooking alternatives compiled into the MECS Quality report. Coupled with activities of MECS, there has been an increased adoption of electric cooking appliances with assured safety for users from injuries and financial losses.

Project Period:

2021-2022

Source of funding:

Department for International Development and Loughborough University

The continued delivery of health services will depend on the reliability of electricity to provide power for lighting, data management, refrigeration, sterilization, and provision of running water. During the past Covid-19 pandemic, it was particularly difficult to sustain testing, treating of patients and administering vaccines in rural health facilities. This research project sought to support accelerated provision of off-grid solar energy access in health clinics in rural, peri-urban or urban communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Impact:

The research gathered data from 800 healthcare facilities in rural Kenya & it was discovered that all these facilities were vulnerable. They had some form of power outages, with the majority of facilities experiencing an outage of about 10 hours of blackout per week. In response to grid electricity that is often unreliable, many facilities have backup power systems in the form of a solar system which have been previously reported to have failed.

Project Period:

2021-2022

The Safer Complex Systems mission, under the banner of Engineering X, focuses on addressing contemporary challenges in governance stemming from the inherent intricacies and interdependencies within modern energy infrastructure. A failure in one part can lead to cascading effects, impacting the entire system and potentially causing widespread disruptions or hazards.

Building safer systems contributes to overall system resilience and reliability to withstand external shocks to changing conditions. Over the years, there have been many efforts to explore what constitutes an acceptable level of safety. It was suggested that the set up of a Safer Complex System Education and Training Group would benefit greatly towards understanding of complex systems. Strathmore University financed by the Royal Academy of Engineering through the UNESCO Chair consolidated work spanning six years on standards and quality within the existing energy landscape in Africa. Under the overarching theme of Quality and Safety, the Chair conducted a series of roundtables and workshops to generate comprehensive insights into:

• Quality of Electric Appliances: E-Cooking

• Quality and Safety in Minigrids

• Green Hydrogen: Quality and Safety

• Solar Photovoltaic Systems: Quality and Safety

• State of Repair and Electronic Waste

• Capacity Building to Improve Quality

• A Look into Moral and Ethical Issues

• Climate Change Perspective: Quality of Energy Infrastructure

The series of impactful workshops and breakfast meetings, creating a platform for stakeholders, including policymakers, engineers, scientists, economists, and experts from diverse fields, to come together and discuss the governance of safer complex systems. In this light, the UNESCO Chair continues to assess the work culture in the energy sector to which level of involvement each person is in the sector and how it impacts the safety of the practitioners and the communities they serve.

Impact:

The Chair organized workshops that brought together a global consortium of experts, fostering discussions on various crucial components of energy systems. They were held as follows;

• Importation and Distribution of Electrical Components and Appliances – 6th April 2023
• Electrical Wiring and Component-Based Solar Systems – 13th April 2023
• The Economics of Electrification – 28th April 2023
• Supply Side of Energy Infrastructure: Oil and Gas – 5th May 2023
• Governance of Safer Complex Systems: Energy Infrastructure in Kenya - 5th July to 7th July 2023

The initial workshop served as a platform to introduce and collaborate with international collaborators while showcasing the specialized knowledge and expertise of local collaborators from Strathmore University and other entities. The subsequent workshops delved into specific facets of energy infrastructure, exploring everything from the importation and distribution of electrical components to the economics of electrification and supply-side considerations like oil and gas. The Chair thereafter developed a think-piece derived from the Safer Complex Systems workshops to provide governments, energy companies, and stakeholders, a roadmap for enhancing the quality and safety of renewable energy sources.

Project Period:

2022-2023

Source of funding:

Royal Academy of Engineering

As a topic central to the activities of the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialog (HLPD) Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE) partnership, more stress has been put on water use for energy generation. To implement agricultural infrastructure and food supply in Africa, we need to safeguard the deployment of renewable resources infrastructure which hinges on the success of the green energy transition. Funded by the European-Union, ONEPlanET (OpeN source nExus modeling tools for Planning sustainable Energy Transition in Africa) addresses the intricate challenges of the interplay within the water, energy, and food (WEF) sectors.

Leveraging Earth Observation data and statistical information, the ONEPlanET model will focus on three representative case studies—Songwe (Malawi/Tanzania), Inkomati-Usuthu (South Africa), and Niger (Nigeria) river basins—each representing different basin types and socio-ecological systems. By exploring these case studies, ONEPlanET seeks to deepen the understanding of sectoral interactions, offering technical and policy recommendations for energy infrastructure implementation. The project’s toolkit draws upon established WEF nexus models and sources such as Copernicus, ESA, and GEOSS. The objective is to stimulate a green energy transition on the continent and decarbonize existing energy plants.

Source of funding:

EU Commission

Industries facing a challenge in decarbonization and electrification seek a transformative solution in green hydrogen—a zero-emission energy carrier created through electrolyzing water with renewable sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy. This high-energy, clean fuel offers a crucial answer to sectors difficult to electrify directly, such as heavy industry, long-haul transport, and heating. With zero carbon dioxide emissions, it stands as a pivotal development in the journey toward a carbon-neutral future.

Africa possesses abundant low-cost renewable energy sources, making it uniquely positioned to harness hydrogen sustainably. Promoting a ‘JUST transition to GREEN hydrogen in AFRICA’ project is supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its members Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research. Africa's burgeoning population necessitates a corresponding rise in energy demand and infrastructure. The continent's sustainable development, alongside global climate efforts, hinges on a comprehensive renewable energy (RES) system. In this sense, JUST GREEN AFRH2ICA puts together AU-EU experiences to explore the potential of green H2 (and its derivatives) as key energy vector and energy option in a joint effort to make both AU-EU sustainable at environmental and social level.

Source of funding:

EU Commission