How Open Innovation is accelerating Universal Energy Access
Written by Ayobami Adedinni
The call for affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 (SDG7) is a clear mandate, but the reality is a stark contrast. Over half a billion people, primarily in under-industrialized countries, remain in the dark. This is not merely a humanitarian crisis; it’s a lost opportunity for economic growth and development.
At EnAccess, we believe that Open Innovation is key to bridging this divide.
Leveling the Playing Field for Energy Access
Founded in 2017, EnAccess is a non-profit organization with a clear mission: to create an equitable ecosystem that accelerates progress towards SDG7. We believe that by encouraging open collaboration and knowledge sharing, we can empower more players to participate in achieving universal energy access.
To truly unlock the potential of this approach, we must first understand the limitations of traditional electrification models and address the root causes of their shortcomings.
Fragmented Innovation: numerous companies working independently tackle similar challenges without sharing knowledge or resources. This redundancy slows progress and wastes limited funding.
Top-Down Approaches: current strategies often involve external actors imposing solutions that may not address the specific needs of local communities. This lack of local ownership hinders project effectiveness and misses opportunities for sustainable development.
Open Innovation for a Sustainable Energy Future
EnAccess tackles these issues head-on through Open Innovation. We believe that by openly sharing knowledge, technology, and resources and stimulating and facilitating collaboration, we can accelerate progress toward universal energy access.
Here’s how we do it:
Building on Existing Solutions: We identify and co-create high-quality, Open Sourcee solutions that address fundamental challenges faced by energy access organizations. These can be hardware, software, business models, or digital tools. By freely sharing them, we eliminate the need for individual organizations to reinvent the wheel, allowing them to focus on core operations.
Technical Assistance and Project Certification: We provide technical support to energy access companies, helping them adopt open-source solutions and improve their digital operations. We also offer Open Source project certification, ensuring the quality and accessibility of open-source projects within our online library, fostering a supportive community around them.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Through online communities, webinars, and in-person events, we facilitate interaction between stakeholders, promoting knowledge exchange and fostering new partnerships.
Local Solutions for Global Change
Our commitment to Open Source principles empowers local companies to develop solutions that are tailored to their specific needs and context.
We’re constantly refining our approach to maximize our impact. Here are some key areas of focus:
Improved Adoption & Support: we’re enhancing documentation and providing hands-on support to make existing open-source solutions easier to adopt and integrate.
Boosting Digitalization: we’re actively promoting Open Source tools and technologies to help local companies increase their digital capabilities and compete more effectively.
Community Building: We’re fostering a thriving community around Open Innovation for energy access. This also includes building partnerships with the wider Open Source community in Africa to leverage their expertise and resources.
Get Involved:
Learn more about EnAccess and our Open Source solutions on our website.
Explore the EnAccess Open Source library and discover tools to empower your energy access initiatives.
Join the EnAccess community and contribute to building a sustainable energy future.
GitHub:https://github.com/EnAccess/