Sustainable and “green” energy will play a pivotal and central role in Africa’s future development.
Project EMERGE
The EMERGE project seeks to provide African policy makers, academics, investors, and citizens with the tools and knowledge required to increase the production of clean energy and the sustainable use of resources while bridging cultural and socioeconomic divides.
In order to simulate scenarios that optimize the use of current resources while taking into account social, climatic, economic, and technical constraints, EMERGE will co-design and test a Toolbox by integrating and building upon existing tools, methodologies, and approaches.
Additionally, a Knowledge Base with a collection of initiatives, materials, and knowledge-exchange activities will be created. The North Western Africa (Morocco), Niger river region (Mali/Nigeria), and east Africa (Mozambique) are three African ecosystems where EMERGE will develop knowledge communities through a participatory approach.
Objectives and ambition
EMERGE brings 11 multidisciplinary partners across 9 countries in EU and Africa, having the mission of connecting knowledge, accelerating the clean energy transition, and maximizing the impact of EMERGE outcomes. EMERGE ambition lies on the following elements:
1Establishing a Network of African Energy Experts
Establish a robust network of African experts in energy system analysis using a value-based design methodology that considers technical, economic, environmental, and social aspects of energy planning.
2Connecting AU-EU Cooperation Activities
Forge connections with other AU-EU cooperation activities by liaising with similar projects and initiatives. This includes partnerships with other European and African based actors looking for promoting the green energy transition
3Launching the EMERGE Toolbox
Showcasing the innovative EMERGE Toolbox, which comprises five distinct tools designed to facilitate energy system analysis and planning. This toolbox serves as a support mechanism for policymakers and decision-makers.
4Evaluating Regulatory Frameworks and Energy Markets
Identify and assess regulatory frameworks, energy markets, and opportunities for integrating clean energy technologies. EMERGE goal is to create an enabling environment for African countries' current and future energy transitions.
5Promoting the Adoption of EMERGE Solutions
Promote, raise awareness, and facilitate the adoption of solutions within the EMERGE Toolbox. This will support the wide-scale energy transition in African countries through actions that contribute to the development of R&I strategies and enhance AU-EU cooperation.
EMERGE’s pathways towards impact
At the center of EMERGE experience will be the development of an extensive Toolbox to facilitate the transition of African energy systems towards 100% renewable energy. The project embraces an open knowledge approach by making all code and software open source and transparent and building expert capacity in energy modelling.
The development of EMERGE Toolbox will generate awareness and know-how in the project target locations, empowering co-creation approaches and impact generation. This approach ensures the identification of future realistic scenarios and smooth implementation of solutions. The acquired knowledge will foster an environment that supports R&I development and stimulates discussions among energy system experts regarding the technical, social, environmental, and economic implications of different market and policy frameworks.
AMBITION
1EMERGE Stakeholder Group for building the knowledge community
Numerous initiatives are currently underway to address sustainability challenges
and implement energy transition mechanisms across both Africa and Europe.
However, a significant barrier to the success of these projects lies in the difficulty of
uniting a diverse group of stakeholders and fostering communities that can
collaborate effectively toward a shared goal.
EMERGE aims to bridge this gap by bringing together experts and those seeking expertise from the EU and AU to create knowledge communities focused on the renewable energy transition. Rather than building a new network within the African Union from scratch, EMERGE will leverage existing networks, particularly those of African partners in the Niger River region, Mozambique, and Morocco. Moreover, the project aims to strengthen the university networks of ECREEE, UMP, ESE, and UNIZAG.
In addition, it is expected that knowledge communities will expand upon the networks of existing EU and AU partners, especially those associated with UNESCO institutions and partnerships, such as UEM. By building on the insights gained from energy system modeling and emphasizing stakeholder involvement in the model design phase, EMERGE will promote a bottom-up approach and address the challenges that hinder the adoption of sustainable solutions.
A key deliverable of the project is the development of the Toolbox, which includes CSA and other associated tools. The structure of EMERGE is designed to actively involve professional experts from both the AU and EU, facilitating collaborative efforts to expand the initiative. In Section 2.2.2, a preliminary list of the targeted stakeholders who have already supported EMERGE, or are part of a supporting network (the Stakeholder Group), is provided.
EMERGE aims to bridge this gap by bringing together experts and those seeking expertise from the EU and AU to create knowledge communities focused on the renewable energy transition. Rather than building a new network within the African Union from scratch, EMERGE will leverage existing networks, particularly those of African partners in the Niger River region, Mozambique, and Morocco. Moreover, the project aims to strengthen the university networks of ECREEE, UMP, ESE, and UNIZAG.
In addition, it is expected that knowledge communities will expand upon the networks of existing EU and AU partners, especially those associated with UNESCO institutions and partnerships, such as UEM. By building on the insights gained from energy system modeling and emphasizing stakeholder involvement in the model design phase, EMERGE will promote a bottom-up approach and address the challenges that hinder the adoption of sustainable solutions.
A key deliverable of the project is the development of the Toolbox, which includes CSA and other associated tools. The structure of EMERGE is designed to actively involve professional experts from both the AU and EU, facilitating collaborative efforts to expand the initiative. In Section 2.2.2, a preliminary list of the targeted stakeholders who have already supported EMERGE, or are part of a supporting network (the Stakeholder Group), is provided.
2Engagement of users and engagement methodology for the design of EMERGE Toolbox
EMERGE is based on the principles of co-design and collaboration with stakeholders. Therefore, stakeholder engagement activities, including surveys, consultations, and interviews, are pivotal. These activities gather comprehensive information, while user experience co-creation events and capacity-building materials ensure the Toolbox meets the primary needs of investors, utilities, and policymakers. EMERGE collaborates with users to develop and test the model, user interface, and training materials, ensuring it addresses real demands and concerns. Feedback from policymakers, academics, investors, and citizens will enable iterative improvements, fostering an environment that supports research, innovation, and discussion about the technical, social, environmental, and economic implications of different market and policy frameworks.
3Capacity building approach for building knowledge and skills in energy system modelling
Organizations and energy system actors can enhance their competencies and
capabilities through targeted capacity-building, which is essential for becoming
more resource-efficient and sustainable. This process not only fosters a sense of
ownership and empowerment but also gives actors and communities greater
control over their future development—an especially critical goal for Africa.
The EMERGE approach to capacity building begins by enhancing the Consortium's high-level training experience while leveraging the UNESCO/UNITWIN Chair, of which UEM is a member. This unique network's primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of open-source training resources among associated members and external organizations. EMERGE adopts and builds upon this UNESCO strategy to drive progress.
All activities within the EMERGE project target four key groups (TG). These target groups were initially formed in the Stakeholder Group and will be further expanded during the project:
● TG1: Research and academia
● TG2: Policy makers
● TG3: Investors and business
● TG4: Civil society and the general public
Given the existing gaps in knowledge exchange and educational resources in Africa, EMERGE will enable AU-AU study visits to facilitate learning between regions and AU-EU exchanges to stimulate knowledge transfer. Additionally, EMERGE will introduce the gamification tool GREENADVISE, designed as a user-friendly investment advisor with educational materials to raise awareness about the benefits of clean energy transition in Africa.
The EMERGE approach to capacity building begins by enhancing the Consortium's high-level training experience while leveraging the UNESCO/UNITWIN Chair, of which UEM is a member. This unique network's primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of open-source training resources among associated members and external organizations. EMERGE adopts and builds upon this UNESCO strategy to drive progress.
All activities within the EMERGE project target four key groups (TG). These target groups were initially formed in the Stakeholder Group and will be further expanded during the project:
● TG1: Research and academia
● TG2: Policy makers
● TG3: Investors and business
● TG4: Civil society and the general public
Given the existing gaps in knowledge exchange and educational resources in Africa, EMERGE will enable AU-AU study visits to facilitate learning between regions and AU-EU exchanges to stimulate knowledge transfer. Additionally, EMERGE will introduce the gamification tool GREENADVISE, designed as a user-friendly investment advisor with educational materials to raise awareness about the benefits of clean energy transition in Africa.
4 EMERGE Toolbox for supporting policy makers and considering wide range of energy system aspects
EMERGE is set to revolutionize energy policy evaluation with a comprehensive Toolkit that surpasses current tools by integrating multiple dimensions of energy systems. Unlike existing tools that focus narrowly on specific sectors or limited aspects, EMERGE's Toolkit will use advanced cross-sector integration to: (i) deliver insights into the economic, technical, social, and environmental impacts of various scenarios; (ii) account for energy infrastructure constraints, such as electricity grids; and (iii) offer both a user-friendly investment advisor for citizens and an advanced version for experts, complete with integrated uncertainty analysis.
