Thu, 29 February, 2024
The IMPHORAA project has been making a genuine difference to people living in rural off-grid communities around the world.
TWI has been working as part of a consortium including Technovative Solutions Ltd, Nanoé, Quantum Leap JMB Mktg Inc, and Brunel University London to develop and deploy small solar-powered nanogrids in rural off-grid communities in Madagascar and The Philippines.
The consortium are holding an online event, ‘‘Illuminating Local Communities – The IMPHORAA Project,’ on 20 March, 2024, where you will be able to find out more about the impact and outcomes of this life-changing project.
About IMPHORAA
The IMPHORAA project has seen the development and deployment of easy-to-install and maintain solar-powered systems that have delivered lighting, power for appliances, improved communication, refrigeration for food and medicines, as well as readily-available access to clean, potable water.
These may be things that many people take for granted, but IMPHORAA has shown how they have been life-changing for those people living in or near the communities where the systems have been installed.
Originally installed in Madagascar, the systems were then taken to The Philippines, where they were installed on the remote island of Port Silanguin. Already making a positive difference, the IMPHORAA system has the capability to be used across the world.
Because the systems can be installed and maintained by local people, IMPHORAA has created jobs for people in these communities. The systems are also easy to repair, meaning that they can be back in service quickly following any natural events, such as hurricanes, that may damage them.
The nanogrid systems work to provide solar powered electricity that can be stored in batteries and used in the local community, providing light so children can study and people can meet and socialise after dark, as well as (for example) allowing those in Port Silanguin to refrigerate or freeze their daily fishing catch without having to make a 5-hour round trip to buy ice from elsewhere. Of course, the reliable electricity supply means access to entertainment and communication too.
Electricity is just part of the story for IMPHORAA, as water pumping facilities have brought people from outside the immediate community to collect fresh water as new opportunities for entrepreneurialism arise. For example, cool storage has allowed one family to start a side business, making and selling their own ice lollies to sell. These unforeseen benefits are being driven by local people as they see other opportunities arise as a result of the IMPHORAA project.
Because the IMPHORAA systems have been installed and tested in the communities themselves, it has been proven that they work. But they are also affordable, reliable and, importantly, environmentally-friendly.
Find Out More and Register
The exclusive IMPHORAA webinar, which will be held between 10-11 AM UK time (1-2pm Madagascar time / 6-7pm Philippines time), will give attendees the opportunity to hear directly from some of the people involved in the project, including TWI Project Manager and Senior Research Fellow at the Brunel Composites Centre, Sadik Omairey; President and Co-Founder of Nanoé, Nicolas Saincy; and President of the Philippines-based Quantum Leap JMB Mktg Inc (QLM), John Defensor.
The webinar will detail how the IMPHORAA system works and provide a glimpse into some of the myriad benefits that it is already providing.
You can find out more and register for this event, here.
This project is supported by Innovate UKs Energy Catalyst Programme (funding by the Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office through their Transforming Energy Access Programme) and UK aid and was awarded as a “subsidy” under the UK International Obligations for Subsidy Control and delivered under Grant 90935 from Innovate UK
