Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is to contribute to the positioning of renewable energies in Argentina’s agenda using an approach that seeks to learn and scale from innovative grassroots solutions. By doing so, we seek to highlight the potential of interventions that can improve the quality of life of communities left behind in terms of energy access. We will get to know mapped initiatives, learning about their different dimensions and analyzing the nature of the different solutions and the success in their adoption as well. Along the way, we will try to contribute to different types of evidence related to renewable energies, such as solutions, patterns, insights, emerging trends, and the like, that will allow us to deploy, in 2023, an experiment and a portfolio of actions aimed at promoting public debate on this topic, focusing on grassroots solutions, prospective analysis (consisting of exploring and anticipating future scenarios, in a structured and systemic way in order to anticipate changes) or scale related interventions in Argentina.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
One of the multiple dimensions of poverty is energy poverty. This dimension was defined by the World Economic Forum (2010) as the lack of access to modern sustainable energy services and products. These services must be adequate, affordable, reliable, quality, safe, and environmentally sustainable to support development (Habitat for Humanity, 2022). Worldwide, energy, which is essential to the functioning of modern societies, is highly unequally distributed. Given access to energy is linked to a country's social and economic development. Economically disadvantaged persons are generally those with the worst access to energy services. Furthermore, because energy inefficiency feeds back into development, the poorest countries are trapped in a vicious circle: They lack access to the energy required to overcome their economic stagnation (Habitat for Humanity, 2022). From a more human perspective, energy access challenges hinder development insofar as they can hamper daily activities such as cooking, heating the home, or bathing. They also have an impact on possibilities related to health, education, and work, among others. Our participation in the "Discover and Deploy" campaign allowed us to identify a wide variety of solutions with the potential to improve the quality of life of worse-off people. For example, we discovered "green boxes" that use allelopathy to keep fruits and vegetables fresh, wind turbines that can be built and replicated using their open patent, and plastic bottle systems that allow water to be stored and heated on top of house roofs to provide a "sun shower," among other solutions. These experiences and the related lessons learned have led us to expand our work in a learning cycle.
Adding to that, the UNDP Energy Compact moonshot is an initiative designed to increase access to clean and affordable energy for 500 million people by the year 2025, by speeding up investment in distributed renewable energy solutions, especially for those hardest to reach and in a crisis context. We —as the Accelerator Lab Network— are committed to surfacing and sourcing grassroots innovations, insights, and weak signals of change to contribute to the 500 million goal.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
The world is falling behind on SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), since its targets are far from being met by 2030 (Sustainable Energy for All, Aug. 22, 2022). For example, more than 750 million people have no access to electricity and 2.6 billion people continue to lack access to clean cooking technologies (The Energy Progress Report, 2021). At the current pace, these numbers will remain above 600 million and 2 billion people respectively in 2030 (World Economic Forum, 2021). At the national level, 1.46 million households in Argentina were affected by energy poverty in 2020 (ENERGAS, 2021). On the other hand, from an environmental viewpoint, the energy sector accounted for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 (Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development of Argentina, 2021). Image: https://www.irena.org/publications/2021/Jun/Tracking-SDG-7-2021
https://www.irena.org/publications/2021/Jun/Tracking-SDG-7-2021
Today, renewable energy is the most affordable option in most of the world. Technology prices for renewable energy are declining rapidly. The cost of electricity from solar power fell by about 85% between the years 2010 and 2020. Costs related to wind power in onshore and offshore locations fell by about 56% and 48%, respectively.
https://www.irena.org/-/media/files/irena/agency/publication/2022/mar/irena_weto_summary_2022.pdf?la=en&hash=1da99d3c3334c84668f5caae029bd9a076c10079
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Following the dynamics of the learning cycle, with different stages under way, we can share weak signals of change that we detected in the Exploration stage that will be further elaborated on and spread during 2023, and patterns and insights analyzed during the Solutions Mapping stage.
Weak signals spotted during the exploration stage:
Internet of Things: IoT for energy efficiency management. The increasing digitalization that the energy industry, its products, and services are going through offers an opportunity to advance toward this goal. IoT is increasingly applied to improve the energy consumption efficiency of households and businesses. IoT refers to how different technologies, such as sensors and software, allow different objects to connect with each other and share information over the Internet (Oracle, 2022). This also applies to electrical objects and devices. By being interconnected and constantly sharing information, the task of creating more efficient electrical systems is facilitated. Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355864938_Impact_of_IoT_on_Renewable_Energy
Agrivoltaic Production Model: Combining solar energy and agriculture. The installation of traditional solar parks has an impact on the ecosystem and the community where they are placed. The land is modified as natural elements are removed for panel installation. In addition, the community no longer has that portion of land for other activities. In response to this, agrivoltaics is positioned as a superior solution. It is a model of solar energy production that is complemented by agricultural activities, all on the same land. Thus, between rows of solar panels, crops can be grown, livestock can graze, or beehives can be placed. Link: https://www.pveurope.eu/agriculture/agriculture-and-pv-agrivoltaics-global-trend
Addressing fair transition for a conscious and responsible energy change. The concept of "just transition" involves addressing the energy transition from a framework where the social costs associated with it are taken into consideration. The replacement of fossil fuels and technologies with renewable ones can cause disruptions to communities (Lee, 2022), especially those that are vulnerable. Job losses, changes in the geographical distribution of economic activity, or disruptions in ways of life are all phenomena that can result from energy transition processes. A just transition, therefore, proposes working towards an inclusive, affordable, and accessible energy transition that promotes opportunities for everyone and supports those who are left out of its benefits. Link: https://www.dw.com/es/colombia-anuncia-en-la-cop27-su-plan-de-transici%C3%B3n-energ %C3%A9tica-justa/a-63697427
On the other hand, from the data analysis derived from the solutions mapping, we have highlighted the following patterns and insights:
- Unmet basic needs. The origin of the solutions we have mapped is not related to rising energy prices or the need to reduce consumption due to environmental impact. Energy poverty persists in our societies, especially in remote communities. Additionally, energy poverty is related to food poverty. Many families, when cooking, think about what meals can be cooked more quickly to avoid consuming too much energy.- There is no one technology that can be applied in every situation. For example, in some locations with significant levels of solar radiation, solar energy-based solutions may be the natural choice over those that rely on other sources.
- Having access to technology does not necessarily mean that you have a solution. Habits are just as important.
- Multiple health consequences. Inefficient or risky energy consumption practices have serious health implications. These include hygiene problems and their potential effects on disease susceptibility, respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation, exposure to possible burns and intoxications from the use of inefficient materials, the possibility of contracting illnesses or reduced mobility due to exposure to cold temperatures, or malnutrition due to difficulties in cooking.
- The temporal dimension of energy. The temporal dimension of energy provision has multiple manifestations. Let's take the example of certain tasks necessary for heating or cooking, such as collecting and carrying firewood. The time spent on these tasks represents an opportunity cost because it can detract from the time needed for educational or recreational activities, among others.
- Knowledge and skills: education and work. Access to information and environmental education are determining factors for the implementation of renewable energy projects. Educational work occurs both informally and formally, where schools and activities with students are often repeated (construction and assembly of technology, etc.). This point involves training for the handling of new technologies or processes and includes issues such as product assembly, maintenance, operation, manipulation of elements, usage regulations, etc.
- Participatory processes and organizational models matter. Energy production and consumption refer to both resources and the way energy is used.
- Women are in charge of most of the domestic work and care duties. Therefore, they are responsible for many tasks that require energy solutions, such as cooking and preserving food, doing the laundry, or bathing their children, among other duties.
- Open hardware can become a great opportunity. Thanks to open patents, technologies can reach further regions in need, and they can be easily replicated.
- Many technologies were designed as prototypes, and some of them were manufactured with recycled materials, waste, or very simple elements. The use of this type of materials shows us the possibility of scaling these technologies at a different speed and being able to involve other communities in their creation. For example, the Liter of Light solution uses plastic bottles and readily available and inexpensive materials (re-used panels, batteries, and simple power supplies) to provide lighting fixtures to communities with limited or no access to electricity.
Link: https://www.undp.org/es/argentina/blog/conquering-energy-solutions-mapping-when-approach-makes-us-human
Link: https://www.undp.org/es/argentina/blog/pregunto-luego-soluciono
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The added value the Lab can provide in terms of renewable energies is the systematization and visibility of evidence that is not as prevalent in our country's energy policy discussions (grassroots solutions, and weak signals, among others). In Argentina, the agenda regarding this topic is associated with large infrastructure projects, the need to attract investors to carry out these projects, and public utility fees in a situation marked by rising inflation. We believe, however, that we can contribute towards drawing attention to other types of actors, experiences, and lessons learned that can favor the debate; or promote smaller-scale interventions in different communities.
We will explore emerging signals and trends related to the sector. The weak signals of change detected in the Exploration stage will be further elaborated on and spread during 2023.
We will continue to process and systematize the solutions mapping, identifying and analyzing patterns and insights during this stage.
The Lab will experiment with the adoption of renewable energy solutions, with an eye toward scaling possibilities. We are currently designing a portfolio of experiments aimed at analyzing the conditions for the successful adoption of renewable energy solutions. To this end, periodic meetings are being held between the mapping and experimentation areas, as well as joint interviews with experts leading the solutions mapped. The experiments that are currently most likely to be conducted are, firstly, the use of information through letters sent to the people living in the houses provided by the provincial government, that have solar water heaters. The letters will have information on the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energies to assess the impact of this information on the adoption and retention of these devices (sometimes, people sell the solar water heaters they find in the house provided). Secondly, there is an idea of an experiment related to the use of stoves that replace wood-burning stoves in community kitchens, and a third alternative is experimenting with conservation solutions for the crops of indigenous populations with emerging productive projects.
We will take advantage of the opportunities for collaboration, aiming to strengthen ties with German cooperation (an industry leader).
The Lab will seize the opportunity to establish contact with leading officials of the next administration in the energy area, considering that, this year, Argentina will hold its presidential elections, which entails a renewal or updating of its technical and political teams.
We will generate collaborative initiatives with the Environment Cluster in the CO. We had very productive experiences together in another learning cycle, and they are interested in delving deeper into their work on renewable energies. For all these reasons, we are aware of the strategic importance of further addressing this issue in the near future.
We will publish at least three knowledge products:
a- The first consists of an exploration report systematizing emerging trends and opportunities in the sector. This report will be completed with the generation of at least 12 sheets systematizing emerging signals.
b- The second is a Solutions Mapping report that will compile our findings regarding grassroots solutions and their protagonists and include a qualitative survey to complete the mapping.
c- The third report will share our findings regarding an experiment.
All of this will be supported by a portfolio of actions designed to promote its growth on a national scale.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
The Lab is committed to surfacing and sourcing grassroots innovations, insights, and signals of change to help identify renewable energy solutions and determine whether communities with greater energy needs can adapt to those solutions.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Ecoandina, 500RPM, and reGOSH, among others.
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Initially, we are establishing relationships with civil society organizations working with renewable energy projects in the territories. In addition, we are talking to organizations that work on open hardware, and we are also conducting interviews with key informants to build partnerships that will allow us to understand the sector, its dynamics, and challenges, and eventually test solutions.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
The Argentine Secretariat of Energy and the Behavioral Sciences and Public Policies Unit.
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We established contact with areas of the government, such as the Secretariat of Energy or the Behavioral Sciences and Public Policies Unit, to generate useful inputs in the design of the portfolio of experiments.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Researchers (National University of Quilmes [UNQUI, by its Spanish acronym]), National University of San Martín [UNSAM, by its Spanish acronym]).
What sector does our partner belong to?
Academia
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We are establishing relationships with researchers working on renewable energies and open hardware.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Ecoandina, 500RPM, and reGOSH, among others.
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Although we have not yet explored this possibility, we would be interested in seeking out funds from the private sector to promote the portfolio of actions.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Plataforma de Escenarios energéticos (Platform of Energy Scenarios)
What sector does our partner belong to?
United Nations
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We are going to share our knowledge products with the Plataforma de Escenarios Energéticos, which combines a series of diverse actors (who have worked in the analysis of the sector) seeking strategic partners and collaboration opportunities to have an impact.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
We know that many of the technologies work (solar stoves, etc.), so we asked ourselves:
What are the most likely elements and/or processes that could foster the adoption of renewable energies by worse-off people who suffer from a lack of access to energy services and products?
From this general question, we can infer some specific questions that we are beginning to outline:
How the reach strategy affects the adoption? In specific, how do the distribution and implementation of solutions affect their effectiveness? Could different degrees of user engagement change this when the desired effectiveness is not achieved?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore, Test, Grow
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
It is precisely through the different methods that we will pay special attention to the challenge linked to the adaptability of renewable energy technologies. We know that many projects aimed at promoting these technologies fail because people have different habits, organizational models, or values. For this reason, we want to provide evidence to offer public policy recommendations on this topic. To that end and to facilitate their adoption, we will implement participatory action research and nudge strategies.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
We would like to underline that the main difference is related to the type of information that is prioritized and/or spread in the most important areas where this issue is discussed. The topics most frequently discussed when dealing with energy are large infrastructure projects, investments, and fees, among others. As a result, the type of evidence that the Lab can provide is not the most prevalent or universally known. We will attempt to shed more light on other aspects of the same issue through a portfolio of actions.
1No poverty
3Good health and well-being
7Affordable and clean energy
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