The Digital Energy Facility, an initiative by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), has announced its annual Digital Energy Challenge for start-ups. This challenge is part of a four-year program.
Also read: 2024 World Bank Government Analytics Fellowship
The challenge aims to reward 5 to 8 start-ups each year that are developing innovative digital projects to enhance energy access and grid services in Africa. The focus is on start-ups that are leveraging digital technology to address energy access issues, facilitate the integration of renewable energies, and improve the performance of energy operators.
Digital Energy Facility Start-ups Challenge Benefits
- The winning start-ups will each receive financial support of up to €150K, which includes grant funding to contribute to costs for equipment, software, training, and recruitment,
- Technical assistance, which could include project management support, strategic and technical expertise, and accounting/reporting assistance.
- They will also participate in a joint boot camp run by cross-sectorial experts to support project implementation, provide sectorial insights, foster synergies between project winners, and encourage best-practice sharing.
Digital Energy Facility Start-ups Challenge Eligibility
The 2024 Call for Projects targets
- Projects based in Africa and owned by start-ups in the pre-seed phase or with early-stage activities.
- NGOs can apply under the Start-up category.
- Public utilities in partnership with technology/service providers are also eligible.
- The projects must have a core element of digital technology and must be innovative, either intrinsically or in relation to the local market or country.
- Projects must be local with project management activities in the country where the project is based.
Also Read: 2024 Coca-Cola HBC International Leadership Trainee Program
The 2024 call for projects targets three themes in the energy sector:
Universal electricity access and mini-grids: This theme focuses on digital innovations in the field of mini-grids to maximize their efficiency and impact. It includes
- energy management systems for optimal use of clean and renewable energy,
- software and hardware technologies for efficient integration of productive use assets,
- storage systems, and
- algorithms minimizing the use of fossil fuel generators,
- tools to facilitate interconnections with the main grid and with other mini-grids,
- systems and algorithms for building up nano grids, and
- geospatial data analytics for power demand evaluation and/or credit risk assessment.
Efficient grid management: This theme is about digital services and products ensuring a proper operation of the power grid. It emphasizes information availability and communication systems, streamlining business-as-usual grid operational management practices of the power system, and increasing power availability and service quality.
Resilience and decarbonization of power systems: This theme is about digital-based solutions enabling the development of greener and more resilient power infrastructure. It includes additional renewable capacity, grid stability and flexibility, and energy savings at the end-user level.
The key dates for the 2024 call for projects are as follows:
- 4th March 2024: Launch of the Call for Projects
- 19th March 2024: Information webinar
- 15th May 2024 – 23h59 CET: Deadline for submission of applications
- Autumn 2024: Notification of award winners and bootcamp