Green transition and energy access in urban and rural Africa

In the ENERGICA project RISE is mainly engaged in the project in the demonstration sites in Sierra Leone and Madagascar as well as being task leader for the social and environmental assessment.

The Sierra Leone work package focuses on the development of low-tech and frugal technologies in both the biogas and water purification sectors. RISE is helping the start-up company The Waste Transformers to develop and test a simple innovative digestion process. The work involves adaption of modular turn-key community anaerobic digester to local conditions. This will be done by setting up local manufacturing, optimization of the operation followed by testing and commissioning.

The Madagascar work package focuses on the development of solar powered nano-grids providing effective access to electricity but also including productive uses in regard to the Water-Energy-Food nexus. Agri-specific, water-specific and cooling-specific solutions are targeted, developed and demonstrated in their local contexts of the 50 chosen Madagascar villages. RISE is responsible for the agri-specific solutions, with focus on retrofitting of rice husking machines from existing diesel-powered machines to electric drive.