UNDP Renewable Energy Prize
What was the UNDP Renewable Energy Prize?
Supported by Nesta, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a Challenge to design and develop a sustainable, cost-effective solution for a standalone, off-grid renewable energy supply that can produce an average of 1.25 kWh and 120 litres of hot-water a day, to cover the needs of an average returnee family in rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina that will not cost more than €5,000.
UNDP piloted the winning solution in a rural area for up to 50 returnee families in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013. The Challenge was part of UNDP’s initiative to develop innovative solutions to global problems.
Why did we do this?
Since the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995, more than one million out of 2.2 million persons displaced during the war have returned to reclaim their lives. For most of them, houses have been reconstructed and normal living conditions restored, but still more than 3,000 families in the most remote rural areas lack access to power. With the fast-declining funding for returnees, there is little hope that the grid will be extended to their villages; in most cases such an investment is not even economically justified.
What happened?
The prize received 35 entries. After two months of field testing the system installed on Zoran Rodić’s housing unit in Veliko Ocijevo, Drvar, was named the winner. The winning system received a US$20,000 cash prize. In addition, UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina piloted it in a rural area for up to 50 returnee families.
The winning solution exceeded all the technical requirements for the challenge, covered the energy needs for war returnee families and still costs no more than €5,000 per unit.
The UNDP will now install eight of the winning renewable energy kits for families who returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina from war many years ago but still have been living without electricity.
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This challenge was funded by
The judges
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Sarah Butler-Sloss
Founder of the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy
Sarah set up the Ashden Trust, a Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust, in 1989 and is Chair of the Trustees. The Trust has initiated and supported a wide range of environmental, sustainable development and social regeneration projects in the UK and the developing world.
She also founded the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy in 2001, now renamed Ashden, for which she is the Founder Director. Ashden’s mission is to encourage the greater use of local sustainable energy to help combat climate change and poverty. Ashden rewards, promotes and supports best practice sustainable energy programmes in the UK and the developing world. Ashden runs an annual Awards scheme that has become a leading Award scheme in the field of sustainability, and speakers at the annual Awards Ceremony have included former US Vice President Al Gore, Sir David King, Sir David Attenborough and its Patron HRH The Prince of Wales.
Sarah is also a trustee of the sustainable development charity Forum for the Future and sits on a number of advisory panels on matters relating to sustainable energy and development.
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Wanda Halbert
Marketing Manager, Eight19
Wanda has a background in innovation and international development in emerging countries. She previously led the external communications at Euclid Network and has worked on emerging technologies policy research at the United Nations. She holds a BSc in Physiology from the University of Bristol and a Masters in Criminology from the University of Cambridge.
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Patrick Hunt
Creative Director, Therefore
Patrick has over 25 years product design experience since graduating in Industrial Design from Leeds School of Art & Design. He was the Grand Prize Winner of the National Nestle Student competition and has continued creating award winning designs ever since. Patrick’s knowledge of manufacturing process was formed early in his career whilst working as a staff designer for the European electronics giant, Philips at their global design headquarters in Eindhoven, Holland. Later Patrick employed his talents at the British Design Consultancy, Seymour Powell to make it one of the most successful design houses of the 1990s. Patrick joined Therefore in their second year and performs a wide range of creative design, innovation and leadership tasks. He created the multi-award winning coffee maker, Presso and has been pivotal in its commercialisation.
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Lucy Conway
Eigg Box
Lucy has lived on the Isle of Eigg for nine years. Eigg, with a population of 100, was one of Scotland’s first community buy-outs in 1997. 2008 saw the launch of Eigg Electric, the island’s renewable electricity company which generates 90% of the island’s electricity from renewable sources. She works as freelance arts and media project manager but is one of a large group of very active volunteers on the island looking at projects which promote sustainability on Eigg and further afield. In March 2013 Lucy was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for her work in promoting sustainability.
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Huw Bement
Sales Director, Firefly Solar Generators
Huw joined Firefly Solar Generators Ltd as Sales Director in November 2012. He spent ten years in a variety of commercial sales roles with companies such as Coca-Cola Enterprises and Beam Global, before moving into the renewable energy sector. Since 2009 Huw has worked for a start up wind turbine company before moving to Firefly Solar. His interests focus on delivering both financial and environmental benefits through renewable technologies, and identifying new applications in a wide range of sectors.
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Vicki Purewal
Head of Challenge Prize Design, Nesta
Vicki is Head of Challenge Prize Design at Nesta. Over nearly 10 years at Nesta she has been responsible for designing and delivering several major programmes to find and support innovation, as well as establishing the UK Centre for Challenge Prizes. Programmes Vicki has led and worked on have covered a broad range of topics including creativity in learning, community innovation, the environment and public services. From 2007-09 she led the design and delivery of the Big Green Challenge, a £1 million prize to incentivise and support community-led innovation in response to climate change. This challenge prize was one of the first for social innovation and has received international recognition for its programme design and success. Other programmes Vicki has worked on include the Learning programme, Innovation Challenges, Neighbourhood Challenge, Transforming Early Years and Creative Councils. Her work at Nesta has also covered cross-programme evaluation and reporting, and the set-up of new programme teams and processes.
