EnAccess, WRI Advocate Open Source Energy Access Initiative

EnAccess Foundation and the World Resources Institute (WRI), are championing the inaugural open-source in energy access initiative that fosters data-driven decision making.

The World Bank, Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), and Prospect supported the inaugural Open Source in Energy Access Symposium (OSEAS), which took place in Abuja from May 7-10, 2024.

Abba Aliyu, Acting Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), said that the Federal Minister of Power wants the agency to focus on developing an electrification plan.

“However, creating such a plan without access to relevant data is challenging, if not impossible. Our (REA) presence at the event was to ensure its sustainability and ability to achieve its strategic objectives, with a comprehensive electrification plan being a vital part of that,” he said.

The acting CEO further praised the inaugural OSEAS as a novel initiative, and that the REA is keen to key into the initiative.

“We will work with you to make sure that we move our developers from being ordinary developers to being Renewable Energy Service Providers that will have utility-scale portfolios to help us bridge this gap as quickly as possible.”

The presentations and panel discussions spotlighted several open source tools including Ukama, which ensures dependable internet connectivity alongside energy access efforts; Autarky, which helps mini-grid operators optimise sizing and dispatch strategies effectively even in volatile environments; The FAIR battery project, which provides open-source battery assembly designs to support a clean energy shift for remote, under-resourced areas.

It also spotlighted the Energy Access Explorer (EAE), which is the first tool to use an open source, data-driven integrated, and inclusive approach to energy planning; and the Off-Grid Planner Tool which supports mini-grid infrastructure planning.

The organisers stated that this symposium marks the beginning of a series of events aimed at uniting stakeholders to foster interest, collaboration, and investment in developing open-source tools that enhance energy access in Africa.

They described the symposium as a significant advancement in leveraging open-source technology to create a more sustainable and equitable energy future.

Established in 2017, The EnAccess Foundation is a nonprofit that funds the development of open-source solutions for the energy access industry. It focuses on sharing open-source hardware, software, and toolkit solutions that save energy access organizations time and money, to accelerate progress towards SDG7. 

Meanwhile, WRI uses research-based approaches to protect and restore nature; stabilise the climate, and build resilient communities. The institute aims to fundamentally transform the way the world produces and uses food and energy and design its cities to create a better future for all.