Skip to main content

Unfortunately we don't fully support your browser. If you have the option to, please upgrade to a newer version or use Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Safari 14 or newer. If you are unable to, and need support, please send us your feedback.

We'd appreciate your feedback.Tell us what you think!

Elsevier
Publish with us

Renewable Transformation Challenge

About the Challenge

The objective of the Elsevier-ISES Renewable Transformation Challenge Promotion (“Challenge”) is to recognize and honor outstanding work towards a world powered by renewable energy and with accessible energy for all.  This objective is consistent with the vision of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), which is for a world powered by 100% renewable energy used efficiently and wisely and accessible for all. To achieve this vision, a global transformation of our energy systems to efficient and affordable renewable energy must take place.

ises logo

The Challenge promotion is administered every two (2) years to recognize accomplishments by organizations such as private enterprises, NGOs, and research institutions for undertaking projects and programs that help move the world toward an energy system supplied entirely by renewable energy sources, or for conducting the critical analyses that provide meaningful roadmaps for the transformation. The award winner represents one step towards furthering ISES’ vision.  This vision can only be achieved through private and civil society initiatives towards innovative and successful programs that adopt the use of renewable energy technologies, and the intelligent application of energy efficiency measures. In the context of this Challenge, the energy transformation applies to all end-use energy consumption: power, heat, and transport.

Applications for the Challenge are invited from organizations who can demonstrate that they have established successful projects, innovative technologies, financing schemes, policy initiatives, or renewable energy programs, or from institutions that have undertaken research and analyses and identified solutions that demonstrate how this goal is being met. The Challenge can include either supply side (energy generation for end-use energy consumption) or demand side (including energy efficiency) programs, or both, and applicants may address any or all of the end-use energy sectors mentioned above.

Innovative ideas will be given preference over incremental improvement projects.

The Challenge is not a funding body and applications still in the conceptual stage with little supporting evidence of viability are unlikely to proceed past the first evaluation phase.

Details of how the application supports the progress towards the 100% renewable energy transformation must be very clear.

The winning proposal will be the one that best demonstrates a contribution to the transformation to a world powered by renewable energy and that ideally has potential to widen access to energy, particularly in developing countries.

Top 10 Shortlisted Projects

AGRISOL: Rural Agriculture Powered by SOLAR ENRGY – Indonesia

AGRISOL is a decentralized renewable energy solution for rural agriculture, built to replace fossil-fuel-powered tools with affordable solar alternatives. It introduces a two-part system: A solar-charged battery swap station located in farming areas. Solar-powered agriculture tools AgriSol-Pump, a portable solar water pump operated by the batteries from the station. For many farmers in Indonesia, the cost of petrol-based agriculture tools such as irrigation pump is so high that letting crops fail is sometimes the only choice. AGRISOL-pump enables farmers to significantly reduce their production costs while eliminating the need for petrol and reducing carbon emissions. By collaborating with vocational schools for production and maintenance, AGRISOL also builds local skills and service capacity. laying the groundwork for both sustainability and local empowerment.

AGRISOL Rural Agriculture Powered by SOLAR ENRGY

BIOGREENFINERY – Spain

BIOGREENFINERY is a pilot renewable-fuel facility at ITC in the island of Gran Canaria integrating a hybrid off-grid microgrid (solar, wind, battery, biodiesel backup) with PEM and alkaline electrolysis, nitrogen generation, and a Haber–Bosch reactor to produce green hydrogen and ammonia. It fuels a hydrogen-fuel-cell bus and two cars, demonstrating zero-carbon transport in an isolated region. Backed by around 6 M€ from EU REACTEU and aligned with the Canary Islands’ 2040 decarbonisation target and EU Green Deal, the project validates the technical feasibility and economics of e-fuel production in remote areas. As a “e/bio fuels platform,” it enables continuous operation, data collection, and a blueprint for scaling renewable fuels in hard-to-abate sectors.

BIOGREENFINERY – Spain

Comprehensive PV Implementation – Lebanon

This project has resulted in the installation of 130 KW for water pumping in 2 sites, nine 1.6 KW system for needy households, 140 KW for main HQ, 22 KW for a recreational site, 23 KW for a school, and 7.6 KW for an organization's branch. A total of 350KW of PV were installed and 150,000 individuals are benefitting from the installed systems which are generating more than 250 MWh annually. These have resulted in annual savings exceeding $50,000. All systems are on/off grid systems capable of independent operation and energy storage in batteries, while having the ability to feed back into the grid in case the mains electricity becomes available, and PV production exceeds the immediate needs. Local individual funding of all the implemented projects insures overall project sustainability and expandability.

Comprehensive PV Implementation – Lebanon

GreenBox – Congo

GreenBox is a 100% solar-powered cold storage solution designed to eliminate food spoilage and post-harvest losses in developing countries, where up to 50% of horticultural produce is wasted before reaching consumers. Installed in farming groups, aggregation centers, and markets, GreenBox cold rooms enable smallholder farmers, retailers, and wholesalers to store perishable foods 24/7, extending shelf life from 2 to 21 days. The project’s primary objective is to ensure food security, increase farmer income, and reduce poverty by providing affordable, sustainable cold storage at critical points in the food chain. By preserving food quality and preventing spoilage, GreenBox helps deliver safe, nutritious food to local communities while advancing climate resilience and economic empowerment. The primary objective of GreenBox is to empower farming communities by reducing food spoilage.

GreenBox - Congo

Hybrid Solar Dryers for Resilient Food Systems – Mexico

The project develops and implements a hybrid renewable energy system for food drying in rural Zacatecas, Mexico. It integrates direct and indirect solar thermal technologies, PV-T panels, and a PV solar-powered heat pump, with optional LPG and biomass backup to ensure year-round resilience. The primary objective is to reduce post-harvest losses and fossil energy dependency by deploying a replicable, low-emission, community-based drying solution powered primarily by solar renewable energy. The project enhances food preservation, strengthens rural livelihoods, and contributes to climate resilience and sustainability in vulnerable agroecosystems.

Hybrid Solar Dryers for Resilient Food Systems

Kokota and Njau Islet Solar Electrification Project – Tanzania

The Kokota and Njau Islet Solar Electrification Project is a flagship renewable energy initiative spearheaded by Photons Energy Limited, aimed at delivering sustainable and reliable electricity to two remote off-grid communities located on Kokota and Njau Islets in the Pemba region of Zanzibar, Tanzania. These islets are home to vibrant fishing communities who, for decades, lacked access to electricity and depended on costly and environmentally harmful energy sources such as diesel generators, kerosene lamps, and disposable batteries. The lack of reliable energy limited access to clean water, education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. The primary objective is to provide universal access to clean, affordable, and sustainable electricity to the residents of Kokota and Njau through the deployment of solar-powered mini-grid systems. This is in line with SDG 7 on clean energy for all.

Kokota and Njau Islet Solar Electrification Project

Scaling Up Energy Access in Malawi with Minigrids – Ireland

The goal of the Scaling Up Energy Access in Malawi (SEAM) project is to provide accessible green energy to households and rural communities in Dedza District, Malawi. As part SHA Malawi's efforts since 2008 to develop and implement market-based green energy solutions for cooking, lighting, and ‘productive uses of energy’, the SEAM project promotes the use of interconnected ‘solar mini-grids’: off-grid, electricity generation and storage installations that provide access to reliable, renewable, clean energy for rural communities. The UN set Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 to tackle the issue of 760 million people living without access to electricity, 75% of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. Malawi is particularly burdened, with only 14% of the population having access to National Grid electricity. Rural access to electricity is even lower, sitting at a mere 1% despite 85% of the country’s population living in rural areas. Expansion of the National Grid is forecasted to be more than 20 years away for a significant proportion of Malawi’s rural population. This ongoing lack of access to electricity severely affects quality of life and stalls economic development meaning alternative energy solutions are needed now.

Scaling Up Energy Access in Malawi with Minigrids

Solar-Powered Battery Swapping for Urban Mobility – Pakistan

This project demonstrates the deployment and evaluation of Pakistan’s first decentralized, solar-powered battery swapping infrastructure for electric three-wheelers (e3Ws). The project is implemented in Multan, a secondary city with high vehicular pollution and limited mass transit, using a mobility model powered by renewable energy. 20 swappable battery-based e3Ws and 2 Battery Swapping Stations (BSSs) were launched. One BSS was powered by a 20 kWp solar PV hybrid system. The objective was to analyze the technical, economic, and social viability of powering last-mile urban mobility using renewable energy. The project reduced vehicular CO emissions by up to 70%, improved energy efficiency by 80% over oil-based 3Ws, and achieved 92% driver retention and 97% passenger preference. The project is a replicable model for climate vulnerable urban centres and leads towards sustainable mobility.

Solar-Powered Battery Swapping for Urban Mobility

SunstorePowerpan at the Khoisan Solar Shelter - United Kingdom

The SunstorePowerpan is a hybrid solar/bio-char combined cooking and electricity generating appliance, designed to be the world's most cost effective and carbon negative feeding station for institutions and off-grid communities. It uses a modular, inverted PMMA Fresnel lens array, to concentrate up to 1kW of solar flux on to a flat plate aluminum heat pipe absorber. This energy is delivered by latent transfer, into an insulated 30 litre cooking pan. Six solar cycles per day are possible in good solar conditions when used in tandem with the solar pre-heat ‘bright’ and ‘hot’ boxes. Two linear bio-char fire-bed trays with integral bread oven, allow the unit to operate during monsoon and at night, co-generating electricity using thermo-electric diodes. The primary fuel supply strategy for the fire bed tray is to ‘pyroform’ local carbon-based waste streams (crop stalks/invasive species etc) into smokeless bio-char. This is done using a simple double barrel pyrolysis unit. The two linear fire trays can process 30 litres of food overnight while co-generating electricity for direct illumination and/or device charging, without the need for battery storage. The primary aim of the project at this stage of development, is to deploy the Sunstore Powerpan in various communities and refugee camps in Africa and produce a solar energy showcase for the Khoisan peoples.

SunstorePowerpan at the Khoisan Solar Shelter

Turning Waste to Clean Cooking Energy – Tanzania

Bantu Technologies is transforming biomass waste into clean, affordable cooking energy through biomass briquettes and stoves. Based in Zanzibar, our project tackles deforestation, waste pollution, and energy poverty by replacing charcoal with briquettes made from bagasse and other organic waste. Our primary objective is to accelerate the transition to renewable energy for cooking in underserved communities while promoting circular economy principles. With over 20% monthly user growth and positive trial results, we are scaling a low-cost, locally sourced, and climate-friendly solution that advances energy access, environmental protection, and community resilience.

Turning Waste to Clean Cooking Energy

Prize

There is a €20,000 prize for the first-place entry. The winner, or one representative of the winning team, will be invited to attend the ISES Solar World Congress 2025 in Fortaleza, Brazil from November 4-7, 2025 and the Congress Awards Banquet, where the winner/representative will present the project. The winner, or one representative of the winning team, will receive one Gold membership to the Society. The winning project will be featured on this website, the journal homepage of Solar Energy and on the ISES website.

Judging criteria

A panel of international solar and renewable energy specialists will review the applications, and the top ten will be put forward to Elsevier-ISES awards’ judging committee for the selection of the winning proposal. The judges will evaluate the applications based on the following evaluation criteria:

  1. Clearly demonstrates that the application supports a transformation towards 100% renewable energy;

  2. Be replicable, scalable and sustainable;

  3. Set a benchmark for innovation – new ideas or concepts will be given preference over incremental improvement projects;

  4. Have practical applicability and a clear demonstration of impact; e.g. does it consider a feasible implementation plan of the project?

  5. Be suitable for application in developing countries; consider the project’s social impact on local communities.

Judges

Klaus Vajen

PKV

Prof. Klaus Vajen

University of Kassel & ISES Board Member

Prof. Adjct. Monica Oliphant

PAMO

Prof. Adjct. Monica Oliphant

Monica Oiphant Consulting & ISES Past President

DJF

Dr. Jianhua Fan

DTU Denmark & ISES Board Member

PYG

Prof. Yogi Goswami

University of South Florida & ISES Past President

PDK

Prof. Denia Kolokotsa

University of Crete & SEA Editor-in-Chief, Solar Energy Advances

Prof. Ranga Pitchumani

PRP

Prof. Ranga Pitchumani

Virginia Tech University & Editor-in-Chief, Solar Energy Journal

Dr. Philip Earis

DPE

Dr. Philip Earis

Editor-in-Chief, Joule, and Publishing Director, Cell Press

Jury members

PVM

Prof. Viktoria Martin

KTH Stockholm

DAH

Dr. Andreas Hauer

ZAE Bayern

CB

Chiel Boonstra

Trecodome

PML

Prof. Michael Leung

City University of Hong Kong

Klaus Vajen

PKV

Prof. Klaus Vajen

University of Kassel & ISES Board Member

DAKVDO

Dr. Aline Kirsten Vidal de Oliveira

UFSC Solar Energy Research Laboratory

DGK

Dr. Gurleen Kaur

International Solar Alicane

FB

Francisco Beltran

KTH Stockholm & ISES Board Member

DJF

Dr. Jianhua Fan

DTU Denmark

DDR

Dr. Dave Renne

Dave Renne Renewables

DBGF

Dr. Berta García Fernández

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

DAH

Dr. Andreas Häberle

Institute for Solar Technology SPF

DAK

Dr. Andreas Kazantzidis

University of Patras

DAK

Dr. Ashvini Kumar

Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation

DSNG

Dr. Saman Nimali Gunasekara

KTH Stockholm

PGTM

Prof. Genene Tessema Mola

University of KwaZulu-Natal

OO

Oluwatoyin Ogedengbe

Nextera

PALP

Prof. Anna Laura Pisello

University of Perugia & SEA Subject Area Editor

PRR

Prof. Ricardo Rüther

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina & SEA Subject Area Editor

PVS

Prof. Veronica Soebarto

University of Adelaide School of Architecture and Built Environment & SEA Subject Area Editor

PYD

Prof. Yanjun Dai

Shanghai Jiao Tong University & SEJ Subject Area Editor

RHR

Rainer Hinrichs Rahwles

European Renewable Energies Federation

DPM

Dr. Paulette Middleton

Panorama Pathways

Prof. Adjct. Monica Oliphant

PAMO

Prof. Adjct. Monica Oliphant

Monica Oiphant Consulting & ISES Past President

PYG

Prof. Yogi Goswami

University of South Florida & ISES Past President

DJGA

Dr. Jose Gonzalez Aguilar

IMDEA Energia

RTC project team members

DN

Dana Niculescu

Senior Publisher

Elsevier

AL

Arabella Liehr

Senior NGO & Project Manager

International Solar Energy Society

Renewable Transformation Challenge Webinar: Towards a World Powered by Renewable Energy

Following the launch of the RTC2021, we have invited the two previous winners, ME SOLShare Ltd and SUNSPOT, to talk about how their work has developed since they won, and to discuss how the RTC has impacted their work and why they were motivated to apply. Watch this recorded webinar with Dr. Dave Renné from ISES and Adam Fraser from Elsevier discussing why the award is important, why we want people/organisations to apply and what applicants should know.

Renewable Transformation Challenge Webinar -Towards a World Powered by Renewable Energy

Renewable Transformation Challenge Webinar video image

Watch now

|

Relx nonsolous tree logo

Renewable Transformation Challenge Webinar -Towards a World Powered by Renewable Energy

Listen to our podcasts about the Renewable Transformation Challenge