EU-Funded SUNNY Project Convenes in Rwanda to Pioneer Clean Energy Solutions for Refugee Communities

From 16–19 June 2025, the second consortium meeting of the groundbreaking SUNNY Project, a €5.3 million initiative funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, was held in Rwanda.

The event brought together more than 18 international partners from academia, industry, and NGOs. The main objective was to align strategies for deploying innovative, sustainable energy technologies in refugee camps and host communities across Africa.

The meeting underscored the importance of aligning the project with national goals for affordable, clean energy while emphasizing its community-based, multidisciplinary approach.

Addressing participants, a representative from the Technical University of Berlin (TUB) highlighted the global scale of the challenge, urging the consortium to develop strategies to mitigate its impact.

“Over 94% of displaced persons in camps lack access to electricity, and 81% rely on harmful firewood or charcoal for cooking, with dire consequences for health, safety, and the environment,” he noted.

A high-level panel discussion featuring representatives from the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Rwanda Energy Group, and industry stakeholders focused on “Bridging the Humanitarian-Development Nexus.”

Discussions revealed that the main barrier to clean energy adoption is not technological, but rather socio-economic transition and affordability. The need for innovative business models and subsidies to make solutions accessible to vulnerable populations emerged as a key consensus.

In his presentation, the Principal Investigator of the HEED Project, implemented by Coventry University, Professor Elena Gaura shared a compelling legacy: renewable energy systems installed in Rwandan camps five years ago remain operational today. This success demonstrates that community ownership and data-driven design are fundamental to sustainability.

The Head of the UNHCR Sub-Office Ms. Ndèye Aissatou Masseck Ndiaye gave a sobering overview of the realities in refugee camps, pointing to severe funding shortages that have led to a 50% reduction in food support and austerity measures affecting all services. On energy, he explained the difficult shift from providing LPG to all households to a vulnerability-based, targeted system due to budget constraints. He stressed the urgent need for sustainable, cost-effective alternatives, highlighting the critical role of projects like SUNNY.

“The biggest challenge is not the technology itself, but ensuring it is adopted, valued, and maintained by the community it is designed to serve,” noted one participant.

The second SUNNY Consortium Meeting successfully reinforced collaboration among European and African partners, humanitarian agencies, and local stakeholders.

By grounding its ambitious goals in the stark realities of refugee life and leveraging collective expertise, the SUNNY Project is making significant strides toward its mission: to provide clean, sustainable, and affordable energy that improves health, safety, and economic opportunities for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.