Ashden Awards 2024 – finalists announced
The finalists for the 2024 Ashden Awards have been announced today which include eight projects from Africa and nine from the UK
The awards recognise climate and energy innovators in both the UK and the Global South, with the latter category focussing entirely on Africa this year.
Two finalist have been named in each of the four award categories covering the Global South region:
Ashden Award for Energising Refugees and Displaced People – The two finalists here are the OffGridBox, an all-in-one solution that brings refugees safe drinking water, internet access, and clean power for their homes and a scheme from Uganda that helps displaced women take out affordable loans to buy clean energy products.
Ashden Award for Natural Climate Solutions – The nominated projects here help protect communities, ecosystems and endangered species in Tazania and Cameroon
Ashden Award for Powering Futures in Clean Energy – GOGO are helping the green transition in the transport industry in Uganda with electric motorbikes while Solar Sister (pictured above) has supported more than 10,000 woman entrepreneurs to launch businesses selling solar products in Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.
Ashden Award for Energy Innovation – Salpha in Nigeria produces made-in-Africa solar home systems, and helps households and businesses switch on to clean power, by giving customers access to fair loans and finance. Nigeria’s SunFi makes solar technology more affordable – with apps and services for consumers, solar companies, and the lenders that can fuel Nigeria’s clean energy revolution.
Three UK-focused categories highlight work creating natural defences to extreme weather, and clean energy innovation. All categories feature two finalists, apart from the Ashden Award for People’s Energy which features five.
Ashden Award for Nature Based Solutions – Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods in Leeds nurture a urban green space, lowering flood risks and boosting biodiversity. RSPB and United Utilities’ Wild Haweswater project in Cumbria is breathing new life into trees, waterways and peatlands. Restoring a damaged landscape brings benefits for wildlife, water quality, and local communities.
Ashden Award for Energy Innovation (UK) – Solar4Flats offer solar-powered microgrids for blocks of flats. Residents share the benefit of lower bills, while housing associations and others can lower their carbon impact. tepeo’s Zero Emission Boiler (ZEB) is a ‘plug-n-play’ replacement for existing fossil fuel boilers, that works with a hot water tank to deliver low carbon and low cost home heating.
The five finalists for the Ashden Award for People’s Energy are:
- Yorkshire North & East District of the Methodist Church’s Tea and PV project which is giving dozens of Methodist churches guidance and support to install rooftop solar. (pictured above)
- South East London Community Energy installs clean energy technology in schools, leisure centres and other community buildings, lowering their bills and emissions.
- Heating Swaffham Prior and Cambridgeshire County Council have launched an initiative to heat an entire village through a single hot water network. The scheme is a partnership between residents and Cambridgeshire County Council.
- Power Station in London are turning a street into a hub of clean energy generation, and using art, storytelling and community engagement to inspire similar projects and innovation.
- Energise Barnsley is partnership bringing clean power and lower bills to South Yorkshire, with older people among those enjoying the benefits.
Ashden’s Head of Awards Dr Stephen Hall said: ‘We’re thrilled with this year’s Ashden Awards finalists. They’re brimming with epic climate ambition – ambition to slash global emissions and transform our world. They’re also pioneers of climate justice, building a world that’s fairer and greener. It’s no surprise to find these two qualities together: when it comes to climate action, they go hand-in-hand.
‘Change happens faster when more people believe in it, back it, and enjoy the benefits. We’re really proud to celebrate these organisations, and urge investors, funders and policymakers to support them too.’
The 2024 Ashden Awards will be held on 27th June