This consortium of researchers based in the Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and the UK is researching solar biomass transformation to overcome the present constraints of energy storage, and is developing new hybrid renewable energy systems to integrate a combination of renewable energy sources.
The project has helped to bridge the barriers between African disparities and has led African partners to interact without language and boundaries being a limitation.
Africa has a chronic shortage of clean renewable energy. Many areas are not connected to the grid. Renewable energy technologies have the potential for local power generation, but in their current state they do not provide a steady stream of energy and methods of energy storage are too expensive.
This project aims to fill the technology gap between cleaner fuel wood cooking stoves and solar panels by using solar power to treat biomass for energy storage and then use it to generate electricity through fuelling generators with biomass slurries. This electricity will then be integrated into renewable energy grids, complementing other established technologies.
To understand more about the research carried out in this consortium, read about the work of the PhD students supported through the RS-DFID ACBI:
Researchers from the consortium contributed to a case study for World Energy Day 2019, as well as a case study on stakeholder engagement and research uptake.