International teams developing the world’s most innovative solutions to extreme energy poverty

PISCATAWAY, NJ, UNITED STATES, March 28, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Twenty-five teams from around the world, selected as finalists from a global field, have been competing in the second IEEE Power Electronics Empower a Billion Lives (EBL) Global Final competition to identify and promote cutting-edge, high-impact solutions to extreme poverty and lack of access to energy in the developing world.

The winners presented their solutions today at the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) Energy Access Workshop, a workshop dedicated to bringing together the Energy Access Community that is rising out of the efforts of initiatives like EBL. The workshop was held in conjunction with the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and was held in Orlando, FL.

The EBL competition was launched in 2018 as a global event to help teams around the world develop energy access solutions that can provide economically viable and scalable solutions for communities with average incomes of lower than US$2 per day. It was felt that regional teams would know their community needs and be able to offer viable solutions to improve their productivity and livelihood. Starting with 100+ registered teams from 43 countries, 25 teams progressed to field testing and presented their business models, solutions, and results at the global final.

The competition was conceptualized by the IEEE Power Electronics Society and its volunteers and staff, with notable support from the IEEE Standards Association and the IEEE Control Systems Society. Other contributors to the competition include IEEE sister societies Industrial Electronics and Power & Energy as well as Schneider Electric, the Georgia Research Alliance, and Vicor. Support has been provided by the IEEE Foundation and the Center for Distributed Energy at the Georgia Institute of Technology has also provided significant logistical, planning, and in-kind support.

Global Steering Chair, Deepak Divan said that “the teams in this second competition have demonstrated a wide variety of sustainable and scalable solutions to the problem of energy access. I have been impressed by the creativity of the teams and their on-the-ground engagement with local communities to understand their needs to provide true value to their customers.” Further, IEEE Power Electronics President Brad Lehman stated, “this is one of the most important global initiatives to be established out of IEEE.”

Winning teams were awarded a total of US$475,000 including a $150,000 Grand Prize to Team Nanoe from Madagascar.

Additional prizes were awarded to teams from Kenya, Zambia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Jordan, India, and the US, showing the broad global involvement and impact of the EBL program. The teams included operating companies, start-ups, and student teams. For more details on all the EBL teams and prizes, or to find out more about EBL or to get involved in the Energy Access community, please visit www.empowerabillionlives.org. The next round of IEEE PELS Empower a Billion Lives is expected to begin in 2025.

About IEEE
IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. Learn more at www.ieee.org.

About The IEEE Power Electronics Society
The IEEE Power Electronics Society has over 30 years of facilitating and guiding the development and innovation in the control of electrical power for a wide variety of consumer, commercial, industrial, utility, transportation, and renewable energy applications.

Jane Celusak
IEEE-PELS Empower a Billion Lives 2018
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