The Global LEAP Awards Solar E-Waste Challenge recently closed after a two-month nomination period for innovations in solar e-waste management. The Solar E-Waste Challenge is an international competition to identify and fund pilot and early-stage projects.

The competition will make $1.6 million available to recycling and e-waste companies which work (or plan to work) with the off-grid solar sector operating in sub-Saharan Africa, other specialized e-waste providers, and off-grid solar distributors who want to pilot or expand end-of-life operations.

The Solar E-Waste Challenge received diverse nominations spanning sub-Saharan Africa:

Projects should fill in information and data gaps that will inform longer-term deployment of public funds to address solar e-waste at a systemic level; address key logistical challenges related to take-back and collection of solar e-waste; and improve and strengthen operational processes at e-waste processing facilities to increase solar e-waste recycling.

Next, expert judges will evaluate the nominations based on relevance to program objectives, viability, potential impact, scalability and/or replicability, cost effectiveness, and capacity of applicant.

Sustainable management of solar e-waste is an emerging priority for the off-grid solar sector. Many industry leaders have explored potential e-waste management solutions including product repair and preventative maintenance, while others have deployed pilots—yet these efforts remain nascent and under-resourced.

The Global LEAP Awards Solar E-Waste Challenge was developed in partnership with USAID Scaling Off-Grid Energy and UK Government Department of International Development (DFID) Transforming Energy Access (TEA) programme.

Successful applicants will receive funding to support implementation of their proposed projects over a 12-month period. As a complement to the grant funding available, Shell Foundation will offer selected applicants access to additional venture building support during the pilot project implementation. A series of case studies based on lessons learned from each project will be developed at the end of the implementation period.

Please find more details about the Global LEAP Solar E-Waste Challenge here: globalleapawards.org/e-waste.