Our Research & Innovation

Transforming ideas into practical solutions that reduce waste, expand energy access, and shape Africa’s renewable future.

Engineering

Innovative technical solutions that repurpose resources, reduce waste, and expand access to sustainable energy systems.

WP1: Powering New Futures with Second-Life Electronics

We’re giving electric vehicle components a second life. WP1 explores how inverters, motors, and other power electronics from end-of-life EVs can be refurbished and repurposed for renewable microgrid systems — reducing costs, e-waste, and carbon impact across Africa.

WP2: Battery Rebirth – Energy Storage from Waste

Batteries don’t stop at the end of the road. WP2 pioneers new methods for safely extracting, testing, and redeploying second-life lithium-ion batteries from EVs into off-grid energy storage systems, boosting sustainability and affordability in rural electrification.

WP3: Clean Heat – Thermal Innovation for Microgrids

It’s not just about electricity. WP3 focuses on integrating sustainable thermal energy solutions — like solar water heaters and thermal storage — into microgrid systems, making energy access more comprehensive, efficient, and climate-resilient.

WP4: Smarter Grids – Network Modelling and Control

Efficiency meets intelligence. WP4 develops digital tools and control systems to optimise microgrid performance. Using real-time simulations and data-driven models, this WP ensures microgrids are stable, scalable, and adaptable to local needs.

Building Capacity

Empowering the next generation of African researchers, innovators, and practitioners through training and knowledge exchange.

WP8: Training, Capacity Building, and Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge is power. WP8 drives capacity building across Africa, delivering in-person and virtual workshops to train the next generation of researchers, engineers, and policy leaders. This WP ensures circular microgrid knowledge is shared, localised, and sustainable.

Policy Impact

Shaping policies that accelerate clean energy adoption and drive systemic change for Africa’s sustainable future.

WP9: From Research to Policy Impact

We don’t just generate knowledge — we shape policy. WP9 connects CEPREC research to national and international dialogues, influencing energy policies through briefings, consultations, and high-level engagement with governments and global institutions.

Our Impact

CEPREC is a Pan-African research centre dedicated to generating knowledge, developing innovations, and strengthening systems that advance circular, clean energy solutions across the continent. Our work brings together research, practice, and policy to deliver tangible impact at community, institutional, and national levels.

Lowering the Cost of Clean Energy Through Innovation

One of our key research priorities is reducing the cost of electricity through circular innovation. By investigating how end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) components—such as batteries, inverters, and motors—can be repurposed for distributed renewable energy systems, we are demonstrating how circular design can lower the cost of power generation and storage.

This research is supporting the development of affordable, locally appropriate solutions for off-grid and underserved communities, while also shaping new business models for microgrid deployment across Africa.

Turning E-Waste into Research-Led Solutions

CEPREC’s work also tackles the growing challenge of electronic waste. Through our research, we are developing safe and effective methods for reusing critical EV components, reducing environmental and health risks associated with unmanaged e-waste.

Our work supports the development of local ecosystems for electronics repair, remanufacturing, and recycling, and contributes new knowledge on how circular economy strategies can unlock sustainable value from waste.

Building Skills and Strengthening Institutions

At the heart of CEPREC’s mission is capacity building. We are training a new generation of PhD researchers, technicians, and innovators who will lead Africa’s clean energy transition. Our programmes strengthen institutional capacity in partner universities, labs, and innovation hubs, while creating new career pathways in distributed renewable energy, electronics reuse, and circular economy systems.

By embedding research and training in local institutions, we are helping to ensure long-term sustainability and ownership of clean energy solutions.

Informing Policy and Driving Systemic Change

CEPREC works closely with policymakers, regulators, and international agencies to inform evidence-based policy and systemic change. Our research supports the development of enabling frameworks that promote distributed renewable energy and circular economy adoption.

We help align finance, regulation, and technology with local realities, and provide insights to guide national energy planning, donor investments, and regional collaboration. Through our convening role, we create opportunities for multisectoral dialogue that strengthens the policy ecosystem for a just energy transition.

Embedding Inclusion in Energy Innovation

People and equity are at the centre of everything we do. CEPREC is committed to designing solutions that are inclusive, participatory, and responsive to the lived realities of African communities. Our research examines how energy access is shaped by gender, livelihoods, social norms, and cultural practices, and we co-create innovations that reflect these complexities.

Whether supporting women-led enterprises or ensuring marginalised voices are heard in technology design, our work aims to ensure that clean energy innovation delivers broad and lasting social impact.