UK Funds 10 Clean Energy Projects in 8 African Countries

The UK is moving to expand clean energy solutions in Africa through funding exceeding two million pounds to support 10 projects in 8 countries, aiming to strengthen energy security and develop essential services and commercial activities.

This comes via the "ZE-Gen Scale-up" fund supported by the British government's "Ayrton Fund" and the "Transforming Energy Access" platform.

According to a report by the "Energy News Network" website, this funding targets companies that have proven their systems' efficiency in pilot projects and are currently preparing to scale up operations.
In Nigeria, "Farm Warehouse" will install 100 solar-powered cooling and storage systems for food vendors in major markets, while "KAMIM Technologies" will establish four solar-powered agricultural hubs combining irrigation services, cold storage, ice production, and grain processing.

The list includes other African countries, featuring two projects in Kenya, where "Acele Africa" will deploy scalable modular battery systems, designed and assembled locally, in locations suffering from electricity grid instability, including health facilities and schools.

Additionally, "SHIELD", an Oxford University spin-off company, will begin working with a large Kenyan hospital to transition it from diesel generator reliance to solar power and batteries, according to a financing model aimed at reducing the cost of this transition.

In Uganda, Telford-based "AceOn" will deploy battery systems for the telecommunications and healthcare sectors, testing "sodium-ion" batteries as an alternative to "lithium-ion" batteries, while "Gommyr" will establish solar-powered fishing centers with battery storage systems in Mozambique.

Furthermore, reused "second-life" batteries will be used to provide storage solutions in Rwanda, and modular batteries will support microgrids in Lesotho, while projects in Madagascar and Tanzania cover rural electrification and providing solar energy systems for small businesses.

Lily Biddle, director of the "ZE-Gen" fund, stated that these projects "show how clean energy can power the services and commercial activities people rely on daily," adding that "the next challenge lies in scaling up the most successful of these approaches."