AE4H Innovation Labs

Participants from the University of Waterloo and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi are selected for an event around a sustainability topic based on the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy’s ‘Innovation Lab’ framework. During a global pandemic, the goal of the event is to build connections between students and institutions, and to challenge students to work together to use their skills and address a sustainability issue that impacts both their countries.

Both India and Canada face issues regarding Sustainable Development Goal number 7 – access to affordable and clean energy. In particular, remote and off-grid communities in both countries have reduced or costly electricity services, and in some cases do not have access to clean-burning cooking fuels.

Students created projects that are cost effective, provided meaningful services to community members, placed community voices and opinions at the forefront of decision making, and are planned for self-sufficiency within three years. The innovation lab brought together students to design sustainable energy solutions for both communities, given information on technology and costs.

Students were split into groups of three - five, with a mix of students from each university, and assigned a sub-topic: technology, economy, society, or environment. After individual discussions with their group members, and three sets of twenty minute meetings for groups to discuss with other groups, the four groups developed a single cohesive solution for each community, combining technology, economy, society, and environmental aspects. Students briefly presented their solution, and then participated in a guided discussion and debrief to the Innovation Lab.

	Professor Ian Rowlands, Associate Vice-President International at the University of Waterloo
	Professor Naveen Garg, Dean of International Programs at IITD
	Professor Jatin Nathwani, Faculty of Environment and Engineering, University of Waterloo
	Professor SK Tyagi, Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IITD
	Professor Dipanjan Basu, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo
	Professor Dibakar Rakshit, Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IITD
	Dr. Abdelsalam Eajal, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo

8:30am-8:40am EST /7:00pm-7:10pm IST: Introductions and opening remarks from Professor Rowlands and Professor Garg.

8:40am-9:00am /7:10pm-7:30pm: Individual group discussions - each of the four groups go into individual breakout rooms to touch base. Professors may join breakout rooms to observe and provide feedback if desired, or leave and return for the presentations.

9:00am-9:15am /7:30pm-7:45pm: Technology & economy, social & environmental teams discuss. Professors welcome to join breakout rooms.

9:15am-9:30am /7:45pm-8:00pm: Social & economy, technology & environmental teams discuss. Professors welcome to join breakout rooms.

9:30am-9:45am /8:00pm-8:15pm: Technology & social, economy & environmental teams discuss. Professors welcome to join breakout rooms.

9:45am-9:55am /8:15pm-8:25pm: Final discussion and presentation preparation in individual group breakout rooms.

9:55am-10:30am /8:25pm-9:00pm: Group presentations (15 minutes), feedback and questions from professors (10 minutes), closing discussion (10 minutes)

10:30am-11:00am /9:00pm-9:30pm: Feedback to the organizers, social discussion among students.

The ‘innovation lab’ is a non-traditional workshop format wherein participants focus more on what they want to do next and how they might work together rather than on sharing past results. Deep discussions in small groups are a feature, and we avoid ‘death by powerpoint’. These are invite-only events that feature a highly diverse set of participants (expertise, nationality, age, gender, etc.). The 2019 event represents our second full-scale innovation lab.

This event brought together experts and practitioners in the field of energy access for the purpose of developing new insights on the delivery of affordable energy services in regions with limited access to electricity.

We aim to produce a set of working papers that outline follow-up activities which advance off-grid energy innovation to support key end user needs/energy services, including:

1. Business services

2. Agriculture

3.Electric cooking

4. Electric mobility

5. Education & public health

6. Clean water access

7. Communications & entertainment

8. Heating & cooling

Engineers Without Borders (University of Waterloo Chapter) Ideas Without Borders Podcast

Hosted by Simon Lin, the creator and founder of Ideas Without Borders

Part 1: Tackling energy poverty through globally established networks
Part 2: Getting to know the Energy Access Sector
Part 3

Full Interviews

Ambika Opal
Jabesh Amissah-Arthur
Kristy Dixon
Malcolm McCulloch
Mohammed Elkadragy
Rajnish Jain
Victoria Filipelli

On Wednesday June 19th a public event was held, featuring innovation lab participants discussing cleantech entrepreneurship in Africa. This event was also a part of the TrueNorth Festival, the largest annual gathering of tech leaders in Canada's technology triangle.

For all event photos:

Participant Profile

Energy access experts from various academic disciplines
Micro-grid developers and development institutions involved in electrification projects
Rural economics and inclusive business development experts
Individuals with extensive energy sector experience in the Global South

Advisory Committee Banner.png


Jatin Nathwani	Joachim Knebel	Dan Kammen	Clark Miller	Malcolm McCulloch
Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy	Head of Division II, Electical and Mechnical Engineering	Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory	Director, Center for Energy and Society	Director, Energy and Power Group
University of Waterloo	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	University of California. Berkeley	Arizona State University	University of Oxford
Canada	Germany	USA	USA	UK


Nigel Moore	Mehrdad Kazerani	Juan Moreno-Cruz	Claudio Canizares	Kirsten Wright
Manager of Global Programs, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy	Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering	Associate Professor, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development	Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering	PhD Student, Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation
University of Waterloo	University of Waterloo	University of Waterloo	University of Waterloo	University of Waterloo
Canada	Canada	Canada	Canada	Canada

Markus Lau	Isabelle Suedmeyer	Witold Roger Poganietz	Mohamed Elkadragy	Davi Francois
PhD Student, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Technology Management	Manager, Storage and Cross-Linked Infrastructure Program	Professor, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis	PhD Student, Institute of Electrical Engineering	PhD Student, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Germany	Germany	Germany	Germany	Germany

Balachandra Patil	Mary Jane Parmentier	Saurabh Biswas	Carlo Altamirano-Allende
Principal Research Scientist, Department of Management Studies	Professor, school for the Future of Innovation in Society	PhD Student, Grassroots Energy Innovation Laboratory	PhD Student, Grassroots Energy Innovation Laboratory
Indian Institute of Science	Arizona State University	Arizona State University	Arizona State University
India	USA	USA	USA


Samson Ondiek	Victor Osu	Carsten Hellpap	Oscar Ankunda	Michel Normand-Marleau
Chief Officer, Corporate Planning	Senior Researcher	Manager, Energizing Development Program	Energy Specialist and Uganda Country Lead	Senior International Development Officer
Kenya Power	Rural Electrification Authority, Nigeria	GIZ	USAID	Global Affairs Canada
Kenya	Nigeria	Germany	Uganda	Canada


Jessy Appavoo	Aaron Leopold	Youba Sokona	Grace Mbungu	Ify Malo
Project Manager, African Mini-Grids Community of Practice	Chief Executive Officer	Special Advisor for Sustainable Development	Junior Fellow & PhD Student	Nigeria Country Director, Power for All & CEO
SouthSouthNorth	African Minigrid Developers Association	The South Centre/University College London	Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies	Cleantech Hub Abuja
South Africa	Kenya	Switzerland	Germany	Nigeria

Dawit Tesfaye	Sankaran Ramalingam	Marvin Tumusiime	Adedoyin Adekele	María Yetano-Roche
Managing Director	Founder	Program Officer	PhD Student & Founder	Research Fellow
Tesfa Ilg Foundation	Energy and Fuel Users Association of India	ENVenture	International Support Network for African Development	Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy
Switzerland	India	Uganda	Italy	Germany


Jabesh Amissah-Arthur	Sebastian Manchester	Scott Kennedy	Xavier Vallve	Sarbagya Tuladhar
Executive Partner	Chief Technology Officer	Chief Executive Officer	Director	Director of Engineering
Arthur Energy Associates	Jaza Energy	Energy Action Partners	Trama TecnoAmbiental	Sunbridge Solar Nepal
Ghana	Tanzania/Canada	Malaysia/USA	Spain	Nepal

Raffy Concepcion	Peter Nyeko	Angus Marjoribanks	Avishek Malla	Rajnish Jain
Communications and Marketing Lead	Director	Chief Operating Officer	Chief Executive Officer	Founder
Solar Solutions Philippines	Mandulis Energy	EnerGrow	SunFarmer Nepal	Avani Bioenergy
Philippines	Uganda	Uganda	Nepal	India

Fernanda Anaya	Uche Onuora	John Zamick	Ali Hemadani	Simon Batchelor
Commercial Manager	Chief Executive Officer	Chief Executive Officer	Business Development Manager	Director
Illumexico	HITCH	Smarter Microgrid	Smarter Microgrid	Modern Energy Cooking Services, GAMOS
Mexico	Canada/Nigeria	UK	UK	UK

Anna Clements	Marie-Flore Leclercq	Kristy Dixon	Patrick C. Greene	Steve Veerman
Energy Access Research Consultant	Strategy and Commercial Analyst	Marketing and Communications Manager	Founder / Steward	Chief Technology Officer
Modern Energy Cooking Services, GAMOS	ENGIE PowerCorner	Pollinate Group	eCAST Inc.	HITCH
UK	France	Canada/India	Canada	Canada/Nigeria

Setting the Stage for Collaboration and Co-Defining Challenges

8:15 AM	Breakfast
9:00 AM	Welcome [Jatin Nathwani, Nigel Moore]
9:30 AM	Roundtable Discussions: Sharing Mindsets Introductions Individual & collective objectives Barriers & opportunities for collaboration
10:45 AM	Coffee Break
11:15 AM	Stage-Setting Talks: Energy System Challenges and Innovations [Clark Miller, Malcolm McCulloch]
12:00 PM	Lunch
1:30 PM	Challenge Identification Part 1: PAIRS Partner interviews on key challenges
2:15 PM	Challenge Identification Part 2: TABLES Pairs report to tables and refine challenges/tensions/paradoxes
3:15 PM	Challenge Identification Part 3: CLUSTERING Stick 2-5 challenges per group on the wall and cluster – active participation
4:00 PM	Challenge Identification Part 4: DISCUSSION Final decisions to identify challenges that we will work on tomorrow
4:30 PM	Break & fend for yourself dinner
7:00 PM	Public Panel Discussion @ Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics [Peter Nyeko, Sebastian Manchester, Oscar Ankunda, Youba Sokona, Ify Malo, Aaron Leopold, Jatin Nathwani] Africa’s Energy Revolution: Perspectives on Cleantech Entrepreneurship
8:30 PM	Concert @ Waterloo Town Square and True North Festival

Working in Groups to Scope Innovations and Develop Project Plans

8:15 AM	Breakfast
9:00 AM	Introduction ‘Innovation Brief’ templates Getting into groups of 3-7 on challenges identified yesterday
9:15 AM	Group Work Draft Innovation Brief sections 1 & 2
10:00 AM	Coffee Break & Gallery
10:30 AM	Group Work Integrate gallery feedback Draft Innovation Brief section 3 & 4
11:30 AM	Group Presentations Short presentation + plenary comments (5 mins/group)
12:30 PM	Lunch and changing groups
1:30 PM	Group Work Draft Innovation Brief sections 5 & 6
2:15 PM	Coffee Break & Gallery
2:45 PM	Group Work Integrate gallery feedback Complete Innovation Brief Prepare for final presentations
3:45 PM	Final Group Presentations Short presentation + plenary comments (10 mins/group)
5:15 PM	Break and gather @ Proof (Delta Hotel Restaurant)
6:00 PM	Conference Dinner @ Proof (Delta Hotel Restaurant)

Wrapping Things Up

8:15 AM	Breakfast
9:00 AM	Bookend Lecture: A Critical Retrospective on Development and Energy Access [Carsten Hellpap]
9:45 AM	Next Steps Plenary What we learned Items for follow-up
10:45 AM	Coffee break
11:15 AM	Final Announcements Ad-hoc sharing of upcoming opportunities
11:30 AM	Light lunch
12:00 PM	Break & optional social activities
4:00 PM	Reception @ Jatin’s Condo (finish at 7pm)

A review of this event is now available online.

	Dan Kammen Founding Director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley
	Thomas Gottschalk CEO of Mobisol Group