International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE)

We are at COP28: Presentation of the EnerSHelF project

EnerSHelF auf der COP28 Banner

Wednesday 15 February 2023

The UN Climate Change Conference 2023, COP 28 for short, is the 28th UN Climate Change Conference. It will take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023 in Dubai. Two of our professors are represented with a project presentation: Prof. Dr. Katja Bender and Prof. Dr. Stefanie Meilinger from the International Center for Sustainable Development (IZNE) will present the EnerSHelF project (Energy supply for health care facilities in Ghana) and its research findings at the event "Renewable Energy Solutions on different scales in Africa and the Middle East and JW Eco Technologies" on December 3, 2023.

„The energy supply for healthcare facilities links two of the UN`s 17 development goals. This so-called nexus of health and energy also makes our project interesting for similar projects in other countries.”

Prof. Dr. Katja Bender and Prof. Dr. Stefanie Meilinger, International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE)

About the project

As in many developing and emerging countries, power outages are a recurring problem in Ghana. There is even a word for this: "dumsor". On top of this comes the instability of the electricity supply network. Both have a significant impact on the health sector, leaving operating theatres without light and life-saving medical equipment down. Photovoltaic-based electricity could provide a remedy, but the PV market in Ghana is still relatively undeveloped. Bringing together Ghanaian partners, scientists, and practitioners from various disciplines, the EnerSHelf project aims to improve and disseminate marketable PV-based energy solutions specifically tailored for healthcare facilities in Ghana. By exploring technical and political economy aspects, experts seek to understand both the practical and institutional barriers that hinder the widespread adoption of such solutions.

 

By the end of the project in March 2023, these findings will have resulted in several planning tools that will make it easier in future to determine the specific needs and role of healthcare facilities for rural electrification, also involving the surrounding communities, and to better manage and maintain the systems. Photovoltaic systems could therefore contribute to a more secure and sustainable power supply in the Ghanaian healthcare sector in the future. In addition to financing issues, it is important that operating companies develop solutions tailored to the needs of the facilities together with local partners, the researchers recommend.

The project presentation can be followed live by registered participants of COP28.

The event is organized by the Institute for Biodiversity - Network e.V. on behalf of the BMBF together with JW Eco Technologies.

 

Cooperation partners

The team in the "EnerSHelF" project consists of scientists from the International Center for Sustainable Development (IZNE) at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, the Cologne Institute for Renewable Energy (CIRE) at TH Köln, the Institute of Geography at the University of Augsburg (IGUA), the Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), the University for Development Studies (UDS) from Tamale/Ghana, The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre (TBHEC) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi/Ghana, as well as the industrial partner WestfalenWIND Beyond and the network partner European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI). On site, the researchers cooperated with St. Dominic's Hospital in Akwatia, St. Michaels' Hospital in Kumasi and the Kologo Health Center in Kologo.

Contact

Katja Bender Portrait IZNE 23

Katja Bender

Professor of Economics, esp. Economic & Social Development, Director of the International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE), Head MBA CSR & NGO Management, Deputy president European Association for Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI)

Research fields

Location

Sankt Augustin

Room

G 045

Address

Grantham-Allee 20

53757, Sankt Augustin

Telephone

+49 2241 865 9660
Stefanie Meilinger Portrait Nov 23 IZNE

Stefanie Meilinger

Professor for Sustainable Technologies, esp. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies, Director of the International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE), Department Engineering and Communication (IWK)

Research fields

Location

Sankt Augustin

Room

G 037

Address

Grantham-Allee 20

53757 Sankt Augustin

Contact points

Contact International Centre for Sustainable Development (IZNE)

Links