Our Projects
In Progress
EASE
EASE will deliver improved energy access for most vulnerable people in Malawi, building sustainable community energy businesses around micro grids and innovative energy hubs, whilst improving the enabling environment for sustainable energy through training, advocacy and mainstreaming of energy in village/district development planning process by District Energy Officers (DEOs). CEM has deployed Solar Powered Irrigation in Nakatale Irrigation Scheme and Solar Powered Hub with Cold Storage facilities and powering shops, school and houses around it in Balaka. in Dedza the project has deployed 4.5kW microgrid powering Mdeza School with olans to expand to Kaname Trading Centre. The £1.4m project is being implemented jointly with University of Strathclyde (lead partner), United Purpose, WASHTED (pic of Nakatale or Kaname) or link to EASE documentaries. watch on youtube
Securing sustainable livelihoods for 2,000 subsistence fishermen and smallholder farmers around Lake Malawi Project
A project funded by BMZ and being jointly implemented in partnership with Sign of Hope and CADECOM Archdiocese of Lilongwe. CEM’s role include setting up and training of clean cookstoves making groups, designing and deployment of a Cold Storage facility for fishermen and setting up renewable energy enterprises that include solar dryers and solar home systems distributions. It targets over 2,000 households in Nkhotakota and Salima districts along the lakeshore.
Our Projects
Completed
Power Resilience for Health Centres in Malawi Project (2021)-£80,000 Funded by Scottish Government (COVID 19)
Reports of shortages in oxygen supply and passing on of COVID 19 patients on life support due to power outage in hospitals, prompted CEM and University of Strathclyde to act. Together we conducted research on alternatives to enhance oxygen supply and fundraised for resilient power systems in COVID treatment centres. CEM conducted assessments in several hospitals across the country and identified 6 hospitals requiring critical resilient power supply. Five 14.5kWh & one 7.5kWh Systems have been installed with £80,000 financial support from Scottish Government. watch on youtube
Sitolo 80kW Solar Minigrid
The 80kW Sitolo Solar Minigrid was deployed jointly by CEM and Community Energy Scotland with a US$750,000 financing from UNDP, GEF and Government of Malawi. it has 925kWh storage 7.2km HV and 11.4km distribution network and 4 transformers connecting around 800 customers (rural households, school, clinic and businesses) with 3 tariffs (domestic, business and social). It created 100 jobs and 40 enterprises (including 2 maize mills) within 2 years and improved social services in Sitolo, Ndawambe and Molosiyo Village. It was jointly implemented with Community Energy Scotland. Collaborations with other partners are working to deliver productive enterprises in the villages. find more on Reuters Report/ watch more on Youtube
Solar Ovens for Cooperative Economic Growth (2018-2021)-£100,000 funded by Scottish Government (Climate Justice Innovation Fund)
The project piloted Villager Solar Ovens in 2 biomass dependent bakery cooperatives. It also built business skills of cooperative members and develop a maintenance budget and process, resulting into increased production and sales, reduced fuel costs and improved profitability, strengthening cooperative members’ livelihoods whilst reducing deforestation. With a 68% women cooperative membership, the project also helped in combating inequality. It was jointly implemented with Community Energy Scotland and COMSIP Cooperative Union. Watch more on youtube
Building Community Resilience Through Sustainable Electricity for Enterprise project (2017-20) -£100,000 funded by Scottish Government (Climate Justice Innovation Fund)
It built the resilience of 250 households in Sitolo village by enabling them to fully benefit from the economic opportunities the mini-grid can give them and provide a sustainable mini-grid management model for future mini-grid developments. The project helped prepare the community to understand the tariff system by exposing them to existing mini-grids. It also offered training in Productive Uses of Energy for villagers to effectively utilize the mini-grid like Prisca Nyendwa (pic). The funding also enabled CEM to document experiences and produce a Mini-grid Guide, it also offered training in productive uses of energy using CEM developed toolkit (link below) for villagers to effectively utilise the minigrid like maize mills (pic) so that women no longer trek 18km for milling.
Malawi for Green, Localised, Inclusive and Decentralised Energy (Malawi GLIDE) (2017-20) €80,000 funded by HIVOS
Malawi GLIDE was part of a regional Green and Inclusive Energy (GIE) partnership in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania. It mainstreamed Green and Inclusive Energy (GIE) into District Development Planning and Budgetary Processes of Chitipa, Ntchisi and Balaka. Malawi GLIDE also advocated for GIE through media and policy platforms. It developed a Toolkit for mainstreaming energy in District Development Planning process and a glossary of energy words in Chichewa. It trained 150 extension workers and backstopped the processes of Village Action Planning (VAP).
Barrier Removal to Energy Access (2018-2019) £94,000 funded by Scottish Government
Scoping the Malawi energy landscape to identify barriers and opportunities to accelerating energy access through: 1) piloting high impact District Energy Officer 2) develop sustainability models for 46 installations deployed under CEDP 3) monitoring Productive Use of Energy installations in rural entrepreneurs and analysis of data to draw insights on the feasibility of the PUE Business Model to inform scale up 4) research on addressing barriers in the enabling environment for Productive Uses of Energy and Mini-grids
PITCHES - Powering Isolated Communities with Hydrogen Powered Energy Systems (PITCHES) (2017-2019) £60,000 Funded by UKAID
PITCHES integrated with the pre-existing Surf ‘n’ Turf and BIG HIT projects in Orkney, Scotland as a basis for assessing the market potential for renewable hydrogen systems serving remote communities, including those in sub-Saharan Africa. CEM explored the replicability of such systems to isolated, off-grid communities, in Sub Saharan Africa, by testing configurations of the system, and identifying business models which best suit off-grid communities in developing countries. Project had 7 partners led by ITM Power: European Marine Energy Centre Ltd, Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, Overseas Development Institute, Community Energy Scotland, Shapinsay Development Trust Ltd and CEM
Phikani Moganizila Chilengedwe (Environmental Friendly Cooking) Project
The US$342,000 project was funded by Japanese Government, Malawi Government and UNDP Malawi as part of scaling up Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) actions. The project sought to reverse overreliance on illegal charcoal in Lilongwe and Zomba cities through increased adoption of alternative cooking technologies. Firstly, a total of 1,700 LPG packages, 1,000 Chitetezo Mbaula (clean cookstoves) were distributed to 2,700 households. A total of 9 biogas systems were installed at Zomba Central Hospital Guardian Shelter, Mikuyu Young Offenders Prison, Zoe Orphanage, Mai Mbambande Elderly Peoples homes and 2 housing estates. Secondly, the project implemented a package of awareness activities like Chiphwanya ndi Sasoka to catalyse behavioral switch from charcoal to alternative clean technologies. Over 100,000 people were reached with different messages through the project’s partnership with print and electronic media as well as use of artists in road shows, cooking shows and social media. Lastly, the project catalyzed partnerships between distributors of technologies and users. Through these partnerships distributors of have opened up in locations to ensure that users get technologies closer. A [earning event to mark end of the project showed a high adoption of technologies and increased demand.
