Affordable Perovskite Solar Irrigation Systems for Small-holder Farmers in Ethiopia (APSISSFE)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Abstract
Over 85 million Ethiopians depend on rain-fed agriculture. Climate change is increasing vulnerability and poverty amongst small-holder farmers, 21% of whom are female headed. However, women are responsible for about 40% of agricultural activities in Ethiopia. Research by Ethiopian partners in this project shows that the provision of small, solar-powered water pumps to irrigate vegetables and cash crops is a highly effective means of increasing resilience to climate-induced stresses and shocks, enhancing household food security, producing of cash crops, reducing women's labour, and ultimately enabling escape from the poverty cycle. Unfortunately, such irrigation systems are presently beyond the means of most farmers.
We propose to drop the cost of solar irrigation systems to a level affordable for Ethiopian small-holder farmers by: (i) advancing the science required to increase the performance and stability potential of halide perovskite photovoltaics (PV) cells; (ii) customizing the engineering required by significantly enhancing the efficiency of power electronic motor drive for pumps to the precise requirements of Ethiopian smallholders; and (iii) taking an Inclusive Innovation approach to co-designing the whole system with end-users to ensure that it is locally-appropriate and effectively reduces women's work.
We propose that the lead halide perovskites constitute an ideal emerging solar power technology to enable inclusive manufacture in Ethiopia of community-level solar powered irrigation systems because these materials can be printed at relatively low-cost on lightweight, flexible substrates. Here, we focus on solving critical interface loss and stability issues in perovskite solar cells that currently inhibit their commercial deployment. Concomitant with this, we will enhance the engineering of the irrigation system by developing modular and scalable solar inverters using advanced power electronic technologies and precisely designing the pump for small farms with shallow water tables. The solar powered irrigation system will be deployed in Ethiopia to ensure socio-economic and environmental appropriateness and provide a platform for scaled local engineering of the systems.
This proposal represents an innovative and unique programme of leading-edge experimental science and systems engineering studies, which are of direct relevance to enhancing economic development and welfare in Ethiopia. The interdisciplinary project will explore some of the central structure-composition-property issues of halide perovskite interfaces and their integration into systems, which brings together the complementary expertise of the applicants and will exploit techniques in which the UK is internationally competitive and in many aspects internationally leading. The PI, Co-Is and project partners have strong national and international reputations in their fields and an impressive track record in delivering research of the highest quality.
We propose to drop the cost of solar irrigation systems to a level affordable for Ethiopian small-holder farmers by: (i) advancing the science required to increase the performance and stability potential of halide perovskite photovoltaics (PV) cells; (ii) customizing the engineering required by significantly enhancing the efficiency of power electronic motor drive for pumps to the precise requirements of Ethiopian smallholders; and (iii) taking an Inclusive Innovation approach to co-designing the whole system with end-users to ensure that it is locally-appropriate and effectively reduces women's work.
We propose that the lead halide perovskites constitute an ideal emerging solar power technology to enable inclusive manufacture in Ethiopia of community-level solar powered irrigation systems because these materials can be printed at relatively low-cost on lightweight, flexible substrates. Here, we focus on solving critical interface loss and stability issues in perovskite solar cells that currently inhibit their commercial deployment. Concomitant with this, we will enhance the engineering of the irrigation system by developing modular and scalable solar inverters using advanced power electronic technologies and precisely designing the pump for small farms with shallow water tables. The solar powered irrigation system will be deployed in Ethiopia to ensure socio-economic and environmental appropriateness and provide a platform for scaled local engineering of the systems.
This proposal represents an innovative and unique programme of leading-edge experimental science and systems engineering studies, which are of direct relevance to enhancing economic development and welfare in Ethiopia. The interdisciplinary project will explore some of the central structure-composition-property issues of halide perovskite interfaces and their integration into systems, which brings together the complementary expertise of the applicants and will exploit techniques in which the UK is internationally competitive and in many aspects internationally leading. The PI, Co-Is and project partners have strong national and international reputations in their fields and an impressive track record in delivering research of the highest quality.
Planned Impact
This research will target UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) 7 affordable clean energy, SDG6 access to water, SDG1 poverty and SDG2 food security. The proposed low-cost and high-performance solar system and converter is a timely solution to help Ethiopia to alleviate limitations on utilization of its available energy resources poverty in a sustainable and low-cost way. The nature of low cost and simple assembly of the solar and power module makes it suitable for local manufacturing and implementation, offering tangible cases for local entrepreneurship and small business initiatives for which the government gives a great attention towards expanding the manufacturing sectors. This collaborative project will help promote research and education on Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy in Ethiopia.
Realising the value of disruptive technologies that make use of novel materials relies critically upon the prior understanding of material properties, device physics and manufacturing techniques. Our adventurous research programme is timely as sets out a bottom-up approach for advancing perovskite semiconductors towards this goal, whereby new insight into their semiconductor physics will drive further increases in device performance. In the research area of inexpensively deposited semiconductors, the UK has long been recognised as a centre of excellence and we seek to apply our expertise in order for this position to be preserved. Furthermore, the main discoveries behind high-efficiency perovskite photovoltaics devices were made in the country; to cement the status of these technologies as 'made in the UK' it is vital that research backing continues so that domestic industries (e.g., partner Oxford PV) and IP portfolios can grow and stay ahead of the international competition.
This proposal resides within the EPSRC 'Solar Technology' theme, which identifies 'potentially game-changing perovskites' as a focus, and 'Materials for Energy' theme, which has been identified as an area to grow. Our research programme fits with underpinning applications in the grand challenge areas of Energy, Environment and Manufacturing. Specifically, our research aligns well with current network hubs such as SuperSolar Network. In general, our work falls under the strategic themes of Energy and Manufacturing the Future, the latter through our commitment to identify and demonstrate scalable treatment processes that enhance optoelectronic performance. At its heart, this research concerns fundamental surface science and applied device work in perovskite semiconductors; topics that fall naturally under the themes of Physical Sciences and Engineering. With a focus on energy material interfaces, the work aligns directly with the scope of the EPSRC Centre of Advanced Materials for Integrated Energy Systems (CAM-IES) network, further boosting industry-academia links and expertise in these areas. The work will also utilize the Royce Institute, contributing to the growing expertise within this facility to make it truly world-class.
Realising the value of disruptive technologies that make use of novel materials relies critically upon the prior understanding of material properties, device physics and manufacturing techniques. Our adventurous research programme is timely as sets out a bottom-up approach for advancing perovskite semiconductors towards this goal, whereby new insight into their semiconductor physics will drive further increases in device performance. In the research area of inexpensively deposited semiconductors, the UK has long been recognised as a centre of excellence and we seek to apply our expertise in order for this position to be preserved. Furthermore, the main discoveries behind high-efficiency perovskite photovoltaics devices were made in the country; to cement the status of these technologies as 'made in the UK' it is vital that research backing continues so that domestic industries (e.g., partner Oxford PV) and IP portfolios can grow and stay ahead of the international competition.
This proposal resides within the EPSRC 'Solar Technology' theme, which identifies 'potentially game-changing perovskites' as a focus, and 'Materials for Energy' theme, which has been identified as an area to grow. Our research programme fits with underpinning applications in the grand challenge areas of Energy, Environment and Manufacturing. Specifically, our research aligns well with current network hubs such as SuperSolar Network. In general, our work falls under the strategic themes of Energy and Manufacturing the Future, the latter through our commitment to identify and demonstrate scalable treatment processes that enhance optoelectronic performance. At its heart, this research concerns fundamental surface science and applied device work in perovskite semiconductors; topics that fall naturally under the themes of Physical Sciences and Engineering. With a focus on energy material interfaces, the work aligns directly with the scope of the EPSRC Centre of Advanced Materials for Integrated Energy Systems (CAM-IES) network, further boosting industry-academia links and expertise in these areas. The work will also utilize the Royce Institute, contributing to the growing expertise within this facility to make it truly world-class.
Publications
Assefa T
(2020)
Evaluating Irrigation and Farming Systems with Solar MajiPump in Ethiopia
in Agronomy
Boeije Y
(2023)
Tailoring Interlayer Charge Transfer Dynamics in 2D Perovskites with Electroactive Spacer Molecules
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Bowman A
(2022)
Investigation of Singlet Fission-Halide Perovskite Interfaces
Bowman A
(2022)
Extracting Decay-Rate Ratios From Photoluminescence Quantum Efficiency Measurements in Optoelectronic Semiconductors
in Physical Review Applied
Bowman A
(2021)
A study of singlet fission-halide perovskite interfaces
Bowman A
(2022)
Investigation of Singlet Fission-Halide Perovskite Interfaces
Bowman AR
(2021)
Relaxed Current Matching Requirements in Highly Luminescent Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells and Their Fundamental Efficiency Limits.
in ACS energy letters
Description | Community engagement, commercialisation and impact Important progress was made regarding raising the project's public profile in Ethiopia during a visit to Bahir Dar made by the Cambridge-based team from 18-22 September, 2022. A workshop for researchers from across Bahir Dar University and a series of public lectures was held. Meetings were held in Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa with officials from the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy. Both ministries expressed strong interest in APSISSFE technology. We also conducted site visits to two rural communities of coffee and cereal smallholder farmer groups who are participating in the project through the Innovation Communities initiative. Power conversion electronics Technologies of power conversion from this project offer low cost, high reliability drives of the portable solar pumps. A 150W prototype has been deployed in a village in Ethiopia in summer 2022 in collaboration with local researchers from Bahir Dar University. The modular design and design for manufacturing (DFM) of the converter has demonstrated its feasibility and potentials of being assembled locally. The plug-and-play feature of such converters have also demonstrated its versatilities in other sustainable energy applications such as connecting small energy storage and renewable generation for domestic applications. The project team has also trained local researchers on power electronics and converter design, including co-supervised a PhD student (Minyahil Tanashu) and equipped the research lab in the Bahir Dar Institute of Technology for more engineers to support the local supply chain of sustainable energy. Beyond this solar pump converter, the research team has also invented series of novel soft-switching technologies of paralleled power electronic devices, which has significantly increased the average efficiency of any power converters where several low-cost devices are connected in parallel. Prototypes have been made to prove the concept and compared with the state-of-the-art, showing a more than 3% increase of efficiency for power converters with 0.5 to 10 kW applications. Perovskite photovoltaics A 0.5W prototype of a perovskite solar cell powered water pump was realised, demonstrating the potential of perovskite solar cells. In addition, the work has also resulted in advancements on our understanding of perovskite solar cells, leading to improved efficiency and stability of these devices. Important works were published on novel contact layers, applications, and imaging of perovskite tandem solar cells. We also published a detailed analysis on the possibility of producing perovskite solar cells locally in low-income countries, and found that this is feasible and could provide an enormous boost to the local economy. Pump System We assessed the suitability of solar water pumping technologies for small scale irrigation by experimentally evaluating the performance of small-scale solar water pumps. The results provide a detailed analysis on the efficiencies of the top-two pump types (helical rotor and centrifugal pump) along with other critical performance parameters. Furthermore, in collaboration with the qualitative data scientists at Bahir Dar University, we studied how the different types of pumping technologies are perceived and used with the different farming communities in Ethiopia. The results here will then be translated into the technological needs that the scientists will implement into their designs. |
Exploitation Route | Our work on understanding loss and degradation processes in perovskite solar cells will be of great value to the perovskite solar cell community, and will ultimately lead to devices with improved efficiency and stability. In addition, our analysis on the feasibility of locally manufacturing perovskite solar cells can inspire policy makers in low-income countries to invest in setting up production facilities, and researchers to further explore processing methods that are compatible with production in low-income countries. The development of novel soft-switching technologies for paralleled power electronic devices has significantly increased the efficiency of power converters, and will help industry in manufacturing more efficient electronics. |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Electronics Energy Environment Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology |
Description | Feedback we received from small-holder farmers on the required specifications for the pump system could be used by other manufacturers to tailor their products to these end-users. The community building programme has led to the formation of a community cooperative in two rural communities in Bahir Dar, which has led to a sustainable community financing cooperative and implementation of water plumbing to local community houses. Our lectures and workshops have made researchers in low-income countries aware of the potential of perovskite solar cells, and the technologies that can be powered by these devices. A proposal to further develop and commercialise the power electronics component of the system has been submitted to the Ethiopian government for funding (MIN-MOE). This work is led by an Ethiopian PhD student, helping to build local capacity and could ultimately lead to the establishment of local power electronics production. |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Electronics,Energy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
Description | University of Cambridge EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account, Early Career Researcher Impact Grant |
Amount | £24,668 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2022 |
End | 06/2022 |
Title | Data Supporting: Tunable Multiband Halide Perovskite Tandem Photodetectors with Switchable Response |
Description | Data supporting the publication entitled "Tunable Multiband Halide Perovskite Tandem Photodetectors with Switchable Response" This data set includes information on the modelling of the photodetector behaviour, calculating the impact of perovskite band gap and thickness. The dataset contains the data of the optimisation of narrowband detection performance, using EQE scans. The charactersation of photodetector performance, including noise and response speed. Finally, data on the demonstration of an encrypted comms. method is contained. All data was obtained as CSV files and processed in excel |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/346715 |
Title | Data for: Relaxed current matching requirements in highly luminescent perovskite tandem solar cells and their fundamental efficiency limits |
Description | Figure 1 contains data for the limiting efficiency of a Shockley-Queisser tandem solar cell, with and without luminescence coupling included in simulations. Figure 2 contains decay data from transient absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence quantum efficiency measurements for the halide perovskite thin film FA0.7Cs0.3Pb(I0.7Br0.3)3. It also contains absorption coefficient and (real) refractive index for both FA0.7Cs0.3Pb(I0.7Br0.3)3 and FAPb0.5Sn0.5I3 thin films, as measured by a combination of ellipsometry, photothermal deflection spectroscopy and Ubach tail fitting. Figure 3 contans the absorbance of FAPb0.5Sn0.5I3 in an idealised tandem stack with FA0.7Cs0.3Pb(I0.7Br0.3)3, the limiting efficiency of this stack as a function of thickness without and with luminescence coupling included in simulations, and the difference in power generated throughout the year without and with luminescence coupling for a typical spectral year on the Canada/USA border from these modelled solar cells. Figure 4 contains the limiting efficiency of the all-perovskite tandem as a function of charge trapping rate (for optimised thicknesses) with luminescence coupling, and a ratio of this result to a second simulation including luminescnece coupling. Figure 5 explores an experimental all-perovskite tandem solar cell. It contains the photoluminescence emission (relative to that at open-circuit voltage) of the high-bandgap sub-cell as a function of applied voltage when illuminated by a 405nm laser, the microscopic photoluminescence from a cross section of the tandem when excited by a 636nm laser, the photolumiescence from a cross section of this region when only the high-bandgap sub-cell is excited, and the time resolve photoluminescence of this emission. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/316458 |
Title | Research data supporting "A Critical Assessment of the Use of Excess Lead Iodide in Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells" |
Description | Data used for 'A Critical Assessment of the Use of Excess Lead Iodide in Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells'. 1. X-ray diffractogram and SEM images of a MAPbI3 film with an excess of PbI2 illustrating how PbI2 can be detected. 2. X-ray diffractograms and SEM images of MAPbI3 films with varying excesses of PbI2. The peak intensities from the X-ray data and white areas in SEM images are used to study the incorporation of PbI2 into MAPbI3 films. 3. Device parameters for FTO/TiO2/MAPbI3/Spiro/Au devices for varying amounts of PbI2 excess. 4. External quantum efficiency and photoluminescense excitation data for MAPbI3 devices with carying amounts of PbI2 excess. 5. Stability measurements for FTO/TiO2/MAPbI3/Spiro/Au devices with stoichiometric and excess amount of PbI2. 6. Schematic of the proposed influence PbI2 has an device performance and stability. SI. Full X-ray diffractograms of MAPbI3 films with excess PbI2 and average FWHM of the peaks in these diffractograms. SEM images of MAPbI3 films with excess PbI2. Calculation of PbI2 surface layer thickness for 5 mol% excess. Detailed device parameters and calculation of Voc from measured PLQE values on MAPbI3 films. Photoluminescence data for stoichiometric and excess PbI2 MAPbI3 films. Device and stability measurements for stoichiometric and excess PbI2 CsFAPbI3 devices. SEM and XRD of a film before and after illumination showing photolysis of PbI2. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/310054 |
Title | Research data supporting 'Investigation of singlet fission-halide perovskite interfaces'. |
Description | Experimental data of change of tetracene and halide perovskite photoluminescence with applied magnetic field, a spectrum of a bilayer and time resolved photoluminescence when exiting and measuring at different wavelengths. Modelling results of: i) The change in the density functional theory (DFT)-level bandgap with number of repeating tetracene units in different directions and associated inputs and outputs from DFT codes. ii) Input and output of calculations DFT and post-DFT calculations of singlet and triplet states in bulk tetracene. iii) The change in the DFT-level bandgap of CsPbI3 with number of repeating units, for both CsI and PbI2 terminations. Associated input and outputs from DFT calculations. iv) Projected density of states for a tetracene molecule on the surface of a halide perovskite (with different orientations). Associated input and outputs from DFT calculations. v) Projected density of states for tetracene/halide perovskite bilayers (with different orientations of tetracene and surface terminations of the halide perovskite). Associated input and outputs from DFT calculations. vi) The difference in DFT and post-DFT energy levels calculated for toy models of tetracene on halide perovskite (both CsI and PbI2 surface terminations). Associated input and outputs from DFT and post-DFT calculations. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/336768 |
Company Name | Sustain/Education Ltd |
Description | Sustain/Ed provides free educational resources and interactive lesson plans on energy, the environment, and sustainability innovations for students aged 7-12. |
Year Established | 2021 |
Impact | Currently running the modules in 14 schools across the UK, and planning to expand across the country in the coming year. |
Website | http://sustaineducation.org/ |
Description | Advances in Photovoltaics: Tandems & Bifacial PV, London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presented work on the characterisation of perovskite tandem solar cells at a conference attended by ~40 participants from academia and industry. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | African Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AfrIE) Seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk given online by Professor Sam Stranks on project to date at the African Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AfrIE) seminar series |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Article in the Conversation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Article describing latest on perovskite technology and commercialisation pursuits. There have been over 35,000 reads of the article from international audience |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://theconversation.com/how-a-new-solar-and-lighting-technology-could-propel-a-renewable-energy-... |
Description | Best practices in solar cell research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | We organised a workshop on best practices in solar cell research, aimed at scientists in developing countries, like Ethiopia. The workshop material detailed important things to take into considerations when measuring solar cells in experimental environments, and to make sure that the results can be reliable compared between research groups worldwide. The workshop was recorded and made available on YouTube, and has more than 300 views. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIiSEVOLMtU |
Description | Cambridge Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Engaging general public in making solar cells from berries, and general solar cell, lighting and detector research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
URL | https://www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/news/camfest#:~:text=our%20YouTube%20channel.-,2023,style%20of%20tradition... |
Description | Community outreach in Ethiopia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 1 day of community outreach for 270 participants in Ethiopia - 85% women |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Community training and feedback on the first prototype of our solar water pump system |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Two days of community training and feedback on the first prototype of our solar water pump system in Ethiopia, reaching 48 participants - all women |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Innovation Communities Programme Ethiopia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | The Innovation Communities Programme in Ethiopia was founded by Lara Allen (CGE) through the MillNET_i project (PI, Howard Griffiths) in 2019. Two further projects ('APSISSFE' and 'Passive Thermal') joined the Programme in 2020 (see section on further funding). The Programme is a collaboration between Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia, and two civil society organisations: the Centre for Global Equality (CGE), based in Cambridge in the UK, and JeCCDO (Jerusalem Children & Community Development Organization), one of Ethiopia's leading national NGOs. Led by Lara Allen (CGE) the Programme is intended as a long-term intervention that will outlive funding cycles of particular collaborating projects. The aim of the Innovation Communities Programme is to create an enabling environment for Inclusive Innovation: specifically, to enable effective cocreation between researchers and rural end users in Ethiopia. The programme builds the capacity of rural communities to: participate in research; understand the nature of the challenges they face; co-develop appropriate responses to such challenges; gain the capabilities and resources to implement such responses and enhance their wellbeing sustainably into the future . The direct benefits of the Innovation Communities Programme to community participants derive from the establishment of community Self Help Groups (SHGs) by JeCCDO, and the provision of training to enable these groups to run effectively, and empower their members. The specific engagement activities undertaken in 2020 are as follows: In the grain growing region (Dangishta Kebele, Dangila District) • CGE-JeCCDO established 8 new Self Help Groups of 18-20 women in each, a total of 150 women from different households. These women were identified by community leaders as being from impoverished households. (Often this is because they are female headed households). • Four facilitators were recruited and trained to support two groups each. The facilitators are all previously unemployed young women who live within the communities they serve. • The groups have received several trainings on the concept of SHGs, loans and credit management, Communication and Leadership Skills, problem solving & conflict management. In the coffee growing region (Ura Kebele, Zege Peninsula) • 150 women in 8 Self Help Groups previously established by JeCCDO, received refresher trainings in Communication and Leadership Skills, problem solving & conflict management, and formulating business plans. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Keynote Address on Research and Inclusive Innovation in Cambridge and Bahir Dar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Featured the MillNET_i and APSISSFE projects as example of successful international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration a Keynote Address titled "Research and Inclusive Innovation in Cambridge and Bahir Dar: why, what and how?", for the 8th EAI International Conference on Advancements of Science and Technology - ICAST 2020, held in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, on 2nd October, 2020. A number of attendees (particularly STEM postgraduates) approached me to find out more about how to translate their research into spin outs and projects to increase the well being of their communities in Ethiopia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Meetings with government officials |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Meetings were held in Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa with officials from the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy. Both ministries expressed strong interest in APSISSFE technology. They were particularly interested in the extent to which we are consulting with Ethiopian smallholder farmers in developing the specifications and design of the solar powered pumping system. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Rice Promotion workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The Rice Secretariat under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) undertook a Rice Promotion meeting organized by MoA in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-Ethiopia (Ethio-Rice Project).The purpose of the platform was to serve as a forum for networking stakeholders along the rice value chain for knowledge transfer and promotion of improved technologies and practices. The meeting was held on April 19, 2021 at Unison Hotel & Spa Bahir Dar. Our colleague, Dr Seifu Tilahun did a presentation on a topic of Solar Pump Technologies at Farmers Field for shallow groundwater. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Site visits to rural communties |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Cambridge and Bahir Dar APSISSFE researchers also conducted site visits to the two rural communities of coffee and cereal smallholder farmer groups who are participating in the project through the Innovation Communities initiative. Meetings were held with +50 community members in each area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Workshop and lectures at Bahir Dar University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | A workshop for researchers from across Bahir Dar University and a series of public lectures was held. These were attended by +100 people from academia, state and national government and local business. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |