News & Media

Second-life batteries could help reduce the cost of mini-grid storage and make electricity more affordable for underserved communities. This is where the circular economy becomes practical. Instead of importing new components every time a system fails, Sierra Leone can test, refurbish and redeploy components that still have value.

Many development and energy projects fail because communities are treated as end users rather than co-designers. A solution is designed elsewhere, deployed locally and then expected to work. But if people are not consulted, if their priorities are not understood and if ownership is not built from the start, even technically sound systems can fail.

Ritah Kayesu’s research, under Work Package 2 (WP2), explores how retired EV batteries can be safely and effectively repurposed to support microgrid applications. Microgrids are increasingly being deployed to provide electricity access in underserved and remote communities, yet their reliability often depends on the availability of robust energy storage solutions.

Join our upcoming webinar this April, where Dr. Abi Okoya will explore how strategic collaboration across government, industry, and academia can support the development of circular, resilient, and inclusive renewable energy systems at scale.

Join our upcoming webinar in March as Dr. Patrick Schröder introduces the concept of circular solar value networks for African mini-grids.

In contexts where battery systems account for a large share of renewable energy costs, their second-life applications can reduce overall system costs by up to 30 percent or more. For a continent that grapples with high cost sensitivity, this is not marginal. It is transformative.

Much discussion around energy access focuses on households. What is their willingness to pay? How do they perceive reliability? What are their energy needs?

Circular energy systems should not extract value from communities. They should generate value within them.Inclusive value chains are critical. They create opportunities for entrepreneurship, skills development and livelihood enhancement.

Join our upcoming webinar as Dr. Vijayanarasimha Pakka explores how integrated modelling, demand behaviour, and energy storage can support the planning and operation of microgrids in African contexts.Designed for energy practitioners, policymakers, innovators, financiers, and development partners shaping Africa’s clean and circular energy future.

Join us for CEPREC’s first webinar of 2026 as Dr William Murithi explores how circular business models can unlock energy access, improve affordability, and strengthen system resilience.

The piece highlights why repair, reuse, and second-life technologies must be embedded from the outset if renewable energy systems are to deliver long-term resilience and local value; a core focus of CEPREC’s work across the continent.

Join us for our December webinar as Prof. Selma Lendelvo shares insights on how circular energy solutions can be deployed responsibly and inclusively in rural Africa.

If we can turn perception into power by understanding how consumers think and behave, we can accelerate Africa’s clean energy journey, ensuring it is not only renewable, but truly inclusive.

The CEPREC team continues to engage actively through discussions, presentations, and roundtables, contributing to global conversations

CEPREC team members facilitated a workshop on Circular Economy for Energy and Sustainability at the Global Sustainability and Education Leadership (G-SEL Conference) Conference 2025.

Join us for our November webinar as Professor Giuliana Battisti takes an ecosystem perspective to explore how social, cultural, and economic factors shape the journey of innovation from labs to livelihoods, the interaction between market dynamics, user behaviour, and the role of policy and regulation in enabling scale and sustainable adoption.

Join us for our October webinar as Prof. Howard NJOKU, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka will explore how thermal load management strategies, including load shifting, peak shaving, demand avoidance, and hybridisation, can ease strain on microgrids.

CEPREC was honoured to co-host the Green Digital Infrastructure for Africa Dialogue on the sidelines of #UNGA80 in New York, convened by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (FMCIDE) in partnership with the African Telecommunications Union (ATU).

Join us for CEPREC’s September webinar as Dr Emmanouil Tyllianakis, Senior Lecturer in Economics for Sustainable Development at De Montfort University, explores how understanding consumer behaviour is key to shaping Africa’s clean energy future.

The Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre (CEPREC) has officially launched, marking a ground-breaking step towards addressing Africa’s energy and e-waste challenges.

From safety protocols and circular business models to real-world success stories, this session will spotlight the innovations bridging e-waste and energy access across the continent.

Repurposing retired EV motors is more than an engineering challenge but serves as a model of how innovation, sustainability and inclusive development could converge to meet Africa’s most pressing needs.

From thermal challenges to local innovation, this session will dive into the circular engineering solutions that can repurpose e-waste into clean energy for communities.

Join us on 28 May 2025 as we kickoff of CEPREC’s Monthly Webinar Series with Professor Layi Alatise, exploring how second-life EV tech can drive Africa’s clean energy revolution.

The article examines a critical but often overlooked issue in Africa’s energy transition: how the rapid expansion of solar mini-grids risks creating long-term sustainability challenges if repair, reuse, skills, and end-of-life considerations are not embedded from the outset.