The second round of the Global LEAP Awards Solar E-Waste Challenge closed on 15 December 2019 after a two-month nomination period for innovations in solar e-waste management. This round of the Challenge aims to support research and development of more sustainable solar home system and battery technologies for the off-grid solar sector in sub-Saharan Africa.

The competition, supported by USAID through the Scaling Off-Grid Energy (SOGE) Grand Challenge for Development, will make grants of up to $300,000 to solar home system and battery technology companies pursuing innovations around sustainable product design and e-waste reduction directly relevant to the off-grid solar sector.

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

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

Projects should promote sustainable solar e-waste management through one or more of the following aims:

• Extend product and/or component lifespan
• Enhance product repairability and recyclability
• Facilitate more efficient refurbishment, reuse or repurposing
• Reduce rare metal and hazardous material composition

Sustainable management of solar e-waste is a growing priority for the off-grid sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Many industry leaders are calling for improved product design and battery technologies to reduce e-waste generated by solar products. Improved battery and product design, manufacturing and management can extend product lifespan and ease the repair process. Additionally, new and innovative battery technologies and business models represent a compelling opportunity for sector growth.

Successful applicants will receive funding to support implementation of their proposed projects over an 18-month period. 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 on the Global LEAP Solar E-Waste Challenge here: globalleapawards.org/e-waste.