Final PROCEED Conference and trip

The closing conference in Windhoek, Namibia, on September 14th and 15th marked the end of the German-Namibian research project PROCEED. During the concluding project trip, project leader Prof. Z?rner and the team bid farewell to the local partners and pilot communities

The interdisciplinary PROCEED (Pathway to renewable off-grid community energy for development) project has been addressing the question of how electrification in remote rural areas of Namibia can be sustainably advanced through so-called solar "island systems" or "Mini-grids" since 2019. The energy supply of the three rural communities, Tsumkwe, Gam, and Uutsathima, was analyzed in terms of their socio-economic and technical sustainability. Extensive data collection, fieldwork, discussions with community members, and multiple workshops and exchange formats were used to formulate recommendations for the future use of solar Mini-grids throughout Namibia. The results, resulting publications, and additional insights can be found on the PROCEED website. The international consortium of German and Namibian partners was coordinated by THI, under the leadership of Prof. Wilfried Z?rner, and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of their CLIENT II Initiative.

On September 14th and 15th, the PROCEED team presented the project's results at a closing conference held at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Windhoek, Namibia. Namibian and German participants from the fields of business, politics, society, and science engaged in lively discussions about the presented findings. During panel sessions, there was also an opportunity to delve deeper into specific aspects such as Namibia's energy policy, the perceptions of community members, or the need for follow-up projects. The notable interest, particularly from Namibian stakeholders, in the results of the PROCEED project highlighted the relevance of rural electrification for Namibia.

Following the conference, the team led by Prof. Z?rner visited the communities of Tsumkwe and Gam to gather final data and bid farewell to the project partners on-site.