The non-profit Access to Energy Institute (A2EI) aims to supply as many people as possible in Africa with solar power. It relies on comprehensive, data-driven problem analysis and optimised solutions to achieve this.
To date, nowcasting research has primarily concentrated on rainfall prediction, while solar forecasting remains relatively unexplored. Advances in the field are crucial for improving solar energy reliability and efficiency.
Solar panels only have a lifespan of around 25-30 years, and the vast majority end up in landfill. French start-up ROSI is developing a way to recycle them with the help of EU funding.
A US startup has developed a portable solar system for remote, offgrid areas. Transportable and packed into a freight container, it can also offer power quickly and easily to disaster-hit regions where infrastructure is scarce.
A team of engineers and architects has developed a paving system that turns footpaths and public furniture into solar energy producers.
As well as helping to save the planet through reducing pollution and combatting climate change, thanks to SolarCoin, producing renewable energy can now also generate currency.
The social startup SOLshare gives people in rural areas of Bangladesh access to energy that's both cheap and clean - and also supplies them with an extra source of income.
The launch of a smart solar street lamp assembly line in Bamako, Mali, is a major step in the development of the solar industry in Africa. This joint initiative by Solektra International and Sunna Design should help create jobs and bring light to areas without access to a power grid.
A Kenyan business is using the power of mobile phones and making the most of the country’s abundance of sunshine to bring affordable solar electricity access to rural communities.
