The use of decentralised solar production and energy storage technologies are common points in the 10 projects selected for the 5th edition of the A2E (Access to Energy) social responsibility fund. Out of a total of 192 applications, initiatives were selected from organisations in five African countries - Nigeria (4), Kenya (2), Rwanda (2), Malawi (1) and Mozambique (1) - which will now benefit from a total funding of one million euros to develop their projects.

These initiatives include, for example, electrification systems for small clinics, lighting for primary schools, energy supply for agricultural production or a solar mini-grid that will electrify a small community. In total, it is estimated that these projects could positively impact the lives of around half a million people.

"We aspire to a world where all communities, especially the most vulnerable or in remote regions, can have secure access to such a basic commodity as electricity. At EDP, we have turned this desire into a mission: we want to help bring clean, safe and affordable energy to these communities and, by doing so, generate a positive impact on society and contribute to their progress," emphasises Vera Pinto Pereira, executive board member of EDP and president of the EDP Foundation, "With these ten new projects, we are reinforcing our commitment to the just energy transition and building a future where energy inclusion is a reality."

Created in 2018 to support projects that promote access to renewable energy in remote and vulnerable communities, the A2E Fund directly impacts priority areas such as health, agriculture, education, the economy or access to drinking water. Since then, in the last four editions, the fund has invested 2.5 million euros to support 28 projects in seven countries in Africa, benefiting more than 1.5 million people - a universe that will now reach almost two million.

Financing renewable energy projects in emerging countries - and especially in Africa - is also one of the topics that is once again on the agenda at COP28, the world's main climate conference, which runs until 12 December in Dubai and in which EDP is once again taking an active part. An agenda that was marked, right from the start, by the commitment of the European Union and five other countries to create a historic fund to help developing nations deal with climate change.

Ten ideas for energy inclusion

With four of the ten projects, Nigeria is once again the country with the most initiatives supported by the A2E Fund. One of the selected projects is promoted by CEESolar Energy, which aims to support 250 rice farmers to improve their productivity and living conditions in a region where energy is still scarce. PAMAfrica Green Power Generation's project also aims to create a 'Net-Zero Village' with mini-grid systems in a remote agricultural region. Husk Power Energy Systems, as well as investing in storage systems, wants to guarantee clean and reliable energy in rural health centres to combat the high maternal and infant mortality rate, and the Retech Foundation is going to electrify five schools with a solar system.

In Kenya, Centrum Narovinu will develop a project in a community of orphaned children and vulnerable families on the island of Rusinga, which will guarantee energy supply for agricultural and educational activities. Another project, promoted by OffgridSun, involves promoting basic sanitation and access to drinking water that will be managed and commercialised in partnership with the community.

Two projects were also chosen in Rwanda. One is by SFH - Society for Family Health, which will electrify health centres and guarantee drinking water systems and basic access to energy in the region with the least access in the country. The other is from the Sustainable Villages Foundation, which is developing a pilot project to electrify a small community to support its agricultural, health and education activities.

In Mozambique, Ibo Foundation was selected for an energy project to be implemented in educational centers in the Cabo Delgado region, where blackouts are still frequent. And in Malawi, the initiative promoted by Sopowerful aims to strengthen the security and stability of the electricity system at Mlambe hospital through solar energy.

To find out more about each of these projects, visit A2E area in EDP’s website.

With this fifth edition of the A2E Fund - which has doubled the amount of funding to one million euros by 2022 - EDP is reinforcing its commitment to the sustainability of the planet by expanding renewable energies and combating the electrical exclusion that still affects the lives of millions of people. Supporting these projects is thus a decisive contribution to ensuring a more sustainable, inclusive and fair future, in line with EDP's own social impact strategy Y.E.S. - You Empower Society and the company's ambition to be totally green by 2030.