IMPHORAA: Implementation of photovoltaics through innovative mini-grid expansion model
Background
The IMPHORAA project seeks to amplify the use of renewable nano-grids in the Philippines and Madagascar. This will help to support the income growth and the development of sustainable communities in both countries; contributing significantly to 2030 UN Sustainable Agenda Goals.
Objectives
The key objectives of IMPHORAA are:
- The extension of services of a low‐cost nano-grid technology and business model.
- The development of a micro-entrepreneurship model for rural community members.
- Assessment of financing schemes and female-supporting best practice for direct implementation of our solution.
- Demonstration of the IMPHORAA model feasibility for investors interested for both regions.
- Data collection from the demonstrations and analysis of the life cycle, cost, environmental and social data relevant in order to establish critical assessments for the long-term use of the solution and calculate the real impact after full implementation.
- To collectively define the expansion strategy of the large scale implementation of the technologies.
Benefits
- Equipping rural communities with tools and knowledge for easy-to-install, and maintain electricity, cooling and water pumping supply. These will be used to cover the community needs. Quality jobs will be created in this regard. A pre-payment model is also delivered to secure payments and payback for investors.
- Boosting local nano-grid with cooling and water pumping will directly enable micro-entrepreneurs, will provide food security and speed recovery after catastrophic events (floods/typhoons/tsunamis/earthquakes), which are frequent in the market in focus.
- Innovation is achieved by integrating tested technologies in an already viable and successful system, while also developing the business model that will help unlock finance and wider deployment at scale in the under-served market segment of Philippines. Madagascar will also benefit from our innovation as a secondary market.
Brunel Composites Centre's (BCC) Role
BCC will be actively involved in the following tasks:
- Setting up the Imphoraa specifications
- Nano-grid simulations
- Imphoraa demonstration at Madagascar and Philippines
Project Partners
TECHNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS LTD. (Lead)
TWI LIMITED
NANOE
Quauntum Leap JMB Mktg Inc.
Brunel University London
Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project
Dr Mihalis Kazilas - Dr Mihalis Kazilas is the Director of the Brunel Composites Centre. He has more than 20 years of experience in the composites processing area. He received his PhD in Advanced Materials from Cranfield University back in 2003. His main field of expertise are polymers characterisation and polymer composites manufacturing and joining processes. He is author of several refereed scientific publications in the area of advanced composites manufacturing and process optimisation. Mihalis is a creative thinker who enjoys problem solving and able to work with different stakeholders to achieve the optimum results in both technical and managerial environments.
Work experience:
Sep 2019 – present: Business Group Manager, Polymer and Composite Technologies, TWI, UK
June 2019 – present: Director of the Non-Metallics Innovation Centre, a joint initiative between TWI, Saudi Aramco and ADNOC
Oct 2016 – present: Centre Director, Brunel Composites Innovation Centre, Brunel University London, UK
Feb 2012 – 2019: Section Manager, Adhesives, Composites and Sealants (ACS) section within the Joining Process Group at TWI, UK
May 2006 – Jan 2012: R&D Consultant, Project Engineer, Collaborative Projects Operations Manager at INASCO, Greece
Related Research Group(s)
Brunel Composites Centre - Shared research and technology capabilities, specialising in novel composites processing and joining technologies applied to industrial environments.
Partnering with confidence
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Project last modified 21/11/2023