Progress in solar energy – Building capacity and the importance of collaboration for a low-carbon Africa
Join researchers from Imperial College London, South Africa, Mauritius and Nigeria to hear about the latest advances in concentrated solar power (CSP) technology and the impacts of cross-continent collaboration for capacity building in African nations.

Abstract
With the pressing need for clean energy worldwide, and Africa in particular, the importance of any research addressing this challenge cannot be overstated. Africa has a massively underutilised solar resource and the development of next-generation concentrated solar power (CSP) systems could revolutionise the energy system in many countries on the continent.

The “Harnessing phase-change heat exchange in solar power systems” project is a collaboration between Imperial College London, the University of Pretoria, the University of Mauritius and the University of Lagos.

Funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), and administered by the Royal Society, this programme aims to propose a more affordable renewable energy technology tailored to the environmental and developmental conditions of Africa, and to foster scientific collaborations around sustainable solar energy research in the local region.

The project is part of the wider Africa Capacity Building Initiative (ACBI) of the Royal Society, which amounts to £15M in funding for research and capacity building activities in the areas of renewable energy, water and sanitation, and soil-related research. The scheme will fund 10 projects over 6 years.

Format
The event will include presentations on:

The Harnessing phase-change heat exchange in solar power system sproject
The RS/DFID initiative
These will then be followed by a panel discussion on

CSP as a good fit for African nations
Benefits of building a community for African universities
What universities like Imperial can learn from these collaborations with new partners

Chair
Professor Christos Markides, Principle Investigator of the project

Panel
Representatives from the University of Mauritius, University of Pretoria, University of Lagos and the Royal Society.

Venue
Lecture Theatre 1 in the Chemical Engineering Department is in building 14 on the campus map.

The quickest way there is to enter the college from the main entrance on Exhibition Road (near building 36).

Head through across the lobby through the revolving door, across the large courtyard and along the long walkway past a bank of very large screens on your right hand side. The entrance to the Chemical Engineering Department is on your right, head through the automatic doors up two short flights of stairs and turn left, walk about 20 metres and the room is just in front of you on your right.