Where to Find Efficiency for Access at the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo 2024

The biennial gathering of the off-grid solar energy industry

Efficiency for Access and our partners will be attending the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo from 8 to 10 October, and the Humanitarian Energy Conference preceding the Forum on 7 October, in Nairobi, Kenya. Over the course of four days, we are looking forward to reconnecting with our established partners, forging new connections, showcasing our latest market intelligence, and expanding our knowledge of the off-grid solar sector.

At the Forum, you will be able to connect with our team in person at the Efficiency for Access booth (A39 and A40). You will also have the chance to meet several Design Challenge students, who we are sponsoring to attend the Forum, at booth A27. We are also sponsoring 24 small scale locally-led productive use renewable energy (PURE) appliance operators and distributors (including nine of our Research and Development Fund grantees), as well as two farmers. This will give them the opportunity to explore the range of disruptive technologies being showcased and connect with various distributors. Efficiency for Access will also be sponsoring two refugees/displaced persons to attend the GOGLA Forum, enabling them to participate in sessions focused on sustainable energy for displaced communities.

Our team will be participating in or hosting events throughout the conference.

See the schedule below for more information:

MONDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2024

Humanitarian Energy Conference

The Humanitarian Energy Conference (HEC) aims to advance the humanitarian energy agenda by bringing together different stakeholders to foster collective action, catalyse political commitments, forge partnerships, and mobilise resources. As a sector-wide event for the humanitarian energy community, the HEC provides a platform for critical and informative discussions, assessing the progress towards achieving SDG 7 for displaced populations and host communities.

The agenda for HEC 2024 will feature a diverse range of sessions covering technical topics such as decarbonisation, clean cooking, sustainable operations and maintenance, energy in emergencies, and urban displacement. There will also be cross-cutting sessions on public-private partnerships, community-led energy initiatives and inclusion, innovative finance, and climate adaptation.

Energy Enablers: Powering public institutions and productive uses of energy

Time: 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM EAT

Room: Room C

The Energy Enablers session will share practical experiences on delivering renewable energy for healthcare and productive uses of energy in humanitarian contexts and discuss key learnings and ways forward for the humanitarian energy sector. Jakub Vrba (Senior Research Lead, Energy Saving Trust, Efficiency for Access) will join the panel of experts focused on productive use to discuss the key learnings from the Efficiency for Access Empowerment through Appliances report and outline plans for the upcoming humanitarian demonstrator in Rwanda.

TUESDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2024

D1: Agricultural Processing: Unlocking the potential for the next productive use frontier

Time: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM EAT

Room: Lenana

Session information

This session hosted by Efficiency for Access will explore how solar-powered agro-processing technologies can drive rural economic development in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The focus will be on the critical role of creating a supportive eco-system for scaling solar-powered agro-processing solutions to enhance food security, reduce post-harvest losses, and create employment. Participants will gain insights into the latest technology innovations, viable business models, key enablers for scaling, and necessary reforms and partnerships needed to optimise the adoption of these technologies.

Speakers:

Nyamolo Abagi: CLASP, Efficiency for Access (Senior Manager)
Gregory Denn: Productive Solar Solutions Ltd
Samuel Karongo: Agriculture and Food Authority
Michael Maina: CLASP, Efficiency for Access (Senior Associate)
Wanjiru Mambo: Wedgehut Foods Limited
Isaiah Omolo: Africa Center for Technology
Ayushi Uppal: Sustain Plus

C1: Over 3.3 million jobs by 2030: How workforce and human capital investments can grow Africa’s green economy

Time: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM EAT

Room: Aberdares

Session information

This session will focus on engaging stakeholders in a conversation about unlocking Africa’s green growth potential through workforce and human capital investments, leveraging insights from the “Forecasting Green Jobs in Africa” report. The objective is to identify the biggest challenges as well as opportunities in workforce development to achieve SDG7 and overall sustainable growth.

Speakers:

Katie Hill
Carolina Ines Pan
Abigail Kuria: CLASP, Efficiency for Access (Clean Energy Access Associate)
Sarah Maina
Ciara Remerscheid

WEDNESDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2024

D4: Cool Insights: Broken links in agricultural cold chains and how to fix them

Time: 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM EAT

Room: Lenana

Session information

The session hosted by Efficiency for Access will address critical issues in agricultural cold chains by focusing on mapping the technological and commercial maturity of different cooling solutions and optimising operations of underused or inappropriately designed assets to avoid . It will feature insights from local entrepreneurs, ecosystem enablers, and other key actors, shedding light on practical challenges and innovative solutions.

The session will underline the need to develop an affordable and accessible value proposition for agricultural producers. It will focus on the identifying of key links beyond first-mile cooling to promote a comprehensive value chain-driven approach that enhances food security, reduces waste, increases farmer incomes, and drives environmental sustainability.

Speakers:

Emmastella Gakuo: Savanna Circuit
Kimani Gichuche: Adili Solar Hubs
Richa Goyal: IKEA Foundation
John Mburu: World Bank
Samwel Naimasia: GIZ / EnDev
Francine Munyaneza: Munyax Eco
Jakub Vrba: Energy Saving Trust, Efficiency for Access (Senior Research Lead)

Last Mile Repair: A collaboration opportunity for manufacturers and distributors

Time: 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM EAT

Room: Turkana

Session information

Since 2010, an estimated 150 million solar energy kits have been distributed throughout Africa. However, it’s estimated that nearly 75% have likely ceased functioning, presenting a significant waste and sustainability challenge.

It’s essential to give broken appliances a second life. While distributors have expanded repair services and networks, and developed proprietary repair apps, it’s clear a more structured, collaborative approach between distributors and product manufacturers will be required to increase reliability and repairability.

This session invites product manufacturers, distributors and other interested stakeholders to a collaborative, round table dialogue, focusing on sharing challenges, potential solutions and exploring what support will be required to resolve this critical issue.

Why is repair so important? According to the UNITAR e-waste monitor, Africa generated 3551 Kt e-waste in 2024, out of which less than 1% was formally recycled. E-waste recycling is not keeping up with consumption, so there is a need to extend product lifetime and reduce pressure on the limited (formal) recycling infrastructure available.

Speakers:

Laura Corcoran: ApTech Africa
Vivek Gupta: d.light
Kinya Kimathi: Kijani Testing
Roald Klumpenar: BOPINC
Fred Mwale: Sunny Money Zambia
Martha Wakoli: CLASP, Efficiency for Access (Clean Energy Access Manager)

THURSDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2024

B7: Hard Talk: What more is needed to close the financing gaps for locally led companies?

Time: 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM EAT

Room: Tsavo C

Session information

The session is intended to candidly reflect on the need for differentiated investment approaches from early-stage grants to commercial investments targeted at locally-led companies across various markets. The off-grid solar sector has made significant progress, however navigating the capital spectrum continues to be particularly challenging for locally led companies. The conversation will explore how actors on the investment continuum like early-stage grant funders can take investors along in the company’s journey and vice versa. Thereby exploring hard questions such as whether expectations are aligned around investment readiness, should every business conform to traditional notions around scale, inherent tensions around tradeoffs between impact and returns, is there a dearth of tailored & context-relevant TA packages. Recognizing that not everything is possible, it will also touch upon the limits and shortcomings of investor and grant development programs in the continuum spectrum.

Speakers:

Davinia Cogan: GDC
Charlotte Olivia Heffer: Energy Saving Trust, Efficiency for Access (Senior Programme Manager)
Wanji Ng’ang’a: Acumen Fund
Samuel Njuguna: Charm Impact
Maya Stewart: Yellow Africa
Martijn Veen: SNV
Jussi Viding: EEP Africa

D8: Cooling to improve lives and livelihoods

Time: 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM EAT

Room: Lenana

Session information

More than 300 million in rural areas face health and productivity risks due to lack of, or insufficient access to cooling. Access to space cooling is becoming increasingly important to protect lives and livelihoods, reducing exposure to heat stress in homes, schools, clinics and workspace, and improving productivity of those who work or study under challenging heat conditions. Cooling also plays a critical role in health care, for transportation and preservation of vaccines, blood and other medical products, as well as for temperature control of laboratories, pharmacies, operation rooms etc. Latest developments and opportunities on technologies, business models, and financial innovations (which are making cooling increasingly viable and affordable in off-grid or weak grid settings) will be presented, along with key actions to foster an enabling environment for sustainable cooling.

Speakers:

Leo Blyth: ESMAP, World Bank, Efficiency for Access
Lauren Burke: Amped Innovation
Lolem Lokolile Bosco: Senior Public Health Officer
Tushar Devidayal: Devidayal Solar Solutions Private Limited
Emilien Di Gennaro: SureChill
Rachita Misra: SELCO Foundation
Lalita Sachdeva: UNICEF
Rahul Srinivasan: Sustainable Energy for All
Clemencia Torres de Mastle: World Bank

A9: Taking the credit: Unlocking the DRE carbon finance opportunity

Time: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM EAT

Room: Tsavo B

Session information

Although the off-grid industry is creating valuable carbon reductions via the displacement of kerosene, petrol and diesel, it faces several barriers to accessing carbon finance via the Voluntary Carbon Market. Country to country trading and programme driven approaches to generating carbon credits via distributed renewables are also at a very early stage. Featuring expert-led interactive round tables, participants will discuss the levers needed to increase carbon credits for the off-grid sector, and explore practical steps to increase funding flows.

Speakers: