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The Clean Energy Initiative
SEED Winner
Year of participation:2009
Region:Africa
Subject:Climate change adaptation/mitigation|Energy / Renewables|Infrastructure
This project aims to provide rural electrification using sustainable energy, generating local employment and promoting entrepreneurial skills, by offering capacity building in the manufacture, installation and maintenance of micro wind turbines. The partners of this project are local small businesses and an academic institution.
Original project description
The project, founded in 2009, aims to provide electricity to rural areas using sustainable energy generated from micro wind turbines. The majority of the population in Northern Mozambique lives in rural areas, which commercial utilities, using conventional approaches, cannot connect to the power grid. This gap can be filled through the use of wind turbines.
The initiative introduces wind power as an affordable source of energy through the provision of robust locally-manufactured wind turbines. There is a wealth of recycled automotive parts and reusable scrap metal available locally. By tapping into these local recycling networks for the fabrication of wind turbines, the initiative advocates a sustainable ‘zero-waste’ principle. In addition the initiative fully promotes renewable energy sources.
The project will also generate employment and promotes entrepreneurial skills through a vocational training programme for local entrepreneurs. The initiative aims to train up to 10-12 apprentices, trainees and members of rural communities per year. The vocational training programme for local entrepreneurs not only builds local capacities, but also provides income generation and future employment perspectives.
Company profits will be reinvested into ‘The Clean Energy Community Fund’, which will subsidise and facilitate micro-enterprise set to a community micro-grid and turbine maintenance.
Current project updates
No update available.
Growth plans description
Secure Project Funding: To support the project though its start-up period, The Clean Energy Initiative is looking for financial support.
Wind Turbine Tour: A wind turbine will tour 4 sites to demonstrate the principles and benefits of wind power (eco-lodge, rural village, farm and a health centre).
‘Build your own wind turbine’ courses: Hands-on’ practical workshops to demonstrate the principles of wind power to apprentices and students in Tanzania and Mozambique.
Workshop Set-up: Establish and equip local workshop with tools, materials and components to enable the cost-effective fabrication and economies of scale for the turbines.
Market Turbines: Manufacture and sell 8 micro wind turbines in the first year of operation.
Establish The Clean Energy Community Fund: A support fund allowing vocational training for community-based income generation and maintenance for established wind turbines.
Current Needs
Technical input and support to assess:
• Impact of electrification for rural communities through the introduction of wind
powered micro-grids.
• Comparative low-carbon energy source exploration focusing on through wind power
provision.
• Formal assessment of rural energy needs and current energy supply and demand.
• Financial and technical feasibility analysis/studies for micro-wind power introduction.
• Poverty reduction/economic development: assessing socio-economic impact through the
induction of wind powered energy systems on:
- food production,
- educational facilities,
- quality of life,
- income-generation activities.
• Develop a mechanism(s) to assess wind power turbine installation to evaluate power
generation:
- number of people served.
- Entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises supplied.
- energy being replaced (biomass/fossil fuels).
• Development of sustainable business models for productive wind powered usage.
• Capacity building methodologies for wind power introduction (knowledge and skill
transfer). Local management framework training for the operation, maintenance and
financial control of the renewable energy systems).
• Research and evaluation of environmental impact of wind power introduction.
Project Gallery
It's difficult to know what to show (there are 100's of photos of building and installation photos, but this section only accomodates 8 photos). I aim to update and circular regularly.
Our location
Project partners
• The Clean Energy Company
• Serralharia Angelina
• The Eduardo Mondlane University
Related media
SEED support for this project
• Assisted with building / improving a business plan
• Assisted with creating an impact and growth strategy
• Assisted in self-assessment to evaluate the initiative’s status towards 8 critical success factors
• Designed marketing material
• Provided networking contacts
• Advised on financial plan
Founding partners
Founding Partners
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