Efficiency for Access Design Challenge

To provide sustainable energy for all, we urgently need to enhance the efficiency and affordability of high performing appliances. The Challenge invites teams of university students to create affordable, high-performing off-grid appliances and enabling technologies.

By bringing together and inspiring students, the competition aims to foster innovation in the off-grid appliances sector. It also seeks to help address barriers that limit market expansion in this area. Furthermore, the Challenge seeks to forge beneficial partnerships between universities, researchers and industry partners at a global level. In this way, it will further strengthen academic capacity within the off-grid sector.

To receive updates, sign up for the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge newsletter here.

Grand Final

The Grand Final is the culmination of the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge and allows us to celebrate participating students’ achievements. The event showcases some of the amazing submissions we receive during the competition, and awards students with the most innovative designs.

This year’s Grand Final took place on Tuesday 18 June 2024, marking the end of the Challenge term. Awards were presented to student teams for the creativity, sustainability and impact of their designs, including Bronze, Silver, Gold and People’s Awards.

The coveted Gold Award was won by Team 2023-24 from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria, for their remarkable Solar Sentry project, which uses real-time monitoring and wireless reporting for optimisation and diagnostics of solar power systems.

Discover the full list of award winners and their designs.

Watch the full recording of the Grand Final now and be inspired by these exceptional young innovators.

Previous Challenges

Over the past five years, more than 500 students from 39 universities in 17 countries have participated in the Challenge. More than 115 project ideas have been developed which you can read about here.

Last year, students from 14 universities participated in the competition. You can read more about the 2022- 2023 Challenge here.

The Challenge kicked off with a workshop at each university and included a series of webinars, mentoring by experts in the sector, and a prototype fund application call.

Industry partners mentored student teams, spoke in webinars, and judged the pitching sessions. They also provided resources for the students, which can be found here.

Discover the highlights from our 2021-2022 Challenge year in the video below.

Contact

Students and academics

If you are a student or an academic and have any questions about the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge, please contact  EforAchallenge@est.org.uk

Companies

For more information on sponsoring or future involvement in the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge, please contact EforAchallenge@est.org.uk

Efficiency for Access and Engineers Without Borders UK are delighted to collaborate on the delivery of the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge. The Challenge is funded by UK aid from the UK government via the Transforming Energy Access platform and the IKEA Foundation.