University students from Kenya, Uganda, and the UK beat teams from around the world to win the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge at today’s Grand Final event. Delivered by Efficiency for Access, with the support of Engineers Without Borders UK, the Challenge is a global, multi-disciplinary competition that empowers teams of university students to help accelerate clean energy access. It is funded by UK aid and the IKEA Foundation.
The Efficiency for Access Design Challenge invited teams of university students to design affordable and energy-efficient appliances and technologies for low to middle income countries. By bringing together and inspiring university students, the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge’s goal was to foster innovation in the off-grid appliances sector. The competition also sought to address barriers limiting market expansion in this area.
The winning teams’ projects are:
- Gold: University College London, ‘Off-grid electric pressure Cookers for Sub-Saharan African communities’, and Makerere University, Uganda, ‘Standalone solar load management system’
- Silver: University of Strathclyde, ‘e-Cook for developing countries’, and Makerere University, ‘Solar energy efficient fish dryer’
- Bronze: Strathmore University, ‘Kijiji, a solar powered container with essential services for empowering rural communities’, and University of Bath, ‘Off-grid refrigeration systems (ACE)’
Source: Efficiency for Access