Innovation Lab 2019

The ‘innovation lab’ is a non-traditional workshop format wherein participants focus more on what they want to do next and how they might work together rather than on sharing past results. Deep discussions in small groups are a feature, and we avoid ‘death by powerpoint’. These are invite-only events that feature a highly diverse set of participants (expertise, nationality, age, gender, etc.). The 2019 event represents our second full-scale innovation lab.
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This event brought together experts and practitioners in the field of energy access for the purpose of developing new insights on the delivery of affordable energy services in regions with limited access to electricity.
We aim to produce a set of working papers that outline follow-up activities which advance off-grid energy innovation to support key end user needs/energy services, including:
1. Business services 2. Agriculture 3.Electric cooking 4. Electric mobility | 5. Education & public health 6. Clean water access 7. Communications & entertainment 8. Heating & cooling |

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On Wednesday June 19th a public event was held, featuring innovation lab participants discussing cleantech entrepreneurship in Africa. This event was also a part of the TrueNorth Festival, the largest annual gathering of tech leaders in Canada's technology triangle.
Participant Profile
- Energy access experts from various academic disciplines
- Micro-grid developers and development institutions involved in electrification projects
- Rural economics and inclusive business development experts
- Individuals with extensive energy sector experience in the Global South

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Jatin Nathwani | Joachim Knebel | Dan Kammen | Clark Miller | Malcolm McCulloch |
Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy | Head of Division II, Electical and Mechnical Engineering | Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory | Director, Center for Energy and Society | Director, Energy and Power Group |
University of Waterloo | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | University of California. Berkeley | Arizona State University | University of Oxford |
Canada | Germany | USA | USA | UK |
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Nigel Moore | Mehrdad Kazerani | Juan Moreno-Cruz | Claudio Canizares | Kirsten Wright |
Manager of Global Programs, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy | Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering | Associate Professor, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development | Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering | PhD Student, Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation |
University of Waterloo | University of Waterloo | University of Waterloo | University of Waterloo | University of Waterloo |
Canada | Canada | Canada | Canada | Canada |
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Markus Lau | Isabelle Suedmeyer | Witold Roger Poganietz | Mohamed Elkadragy | Davi Francois |
PhD Student, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Technology Management | Manager, Storage and Cross-Linked Infrastructure Program | Professor, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis | PhD Student, Institute of Electrical Engineering | PhD Student, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis |
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology |
Germany | Germany | Germany | Germany | Germany |
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Balachandra Patil | Mary Jane Parmentier | Saurabh Biswas | Carlo Altamirano-Allende | |
Principal Research Scientist, Department of Management Studies | Professor, school for the Future of Innovation in Society | PhD Student, Grassroots Energy Innovation Laboratory | PhD Student, Grassroots Energy Innovation Laboratory | |
Indian Institute of Science | Arizona State University | Arizona State University | Arizona State University | |
India | USA | USA | USA |
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Samson Ondiek | Victor Osu | Carsten Hellpap | Oscar Ankunda | Michel Normand-Marleau |
Chief Officer, Corporate Planning | Senior Researcher | Manager, Energizing Development Program | Energy Specialist and Uganda Country Lead | Senior International Development Officer |
Kenya Power | Rural Electrification Authority, Nigeria | GIZ | USAID | Global Affairs Canada |
Kenya | Nigeria | Germany | Uganda | Canada |
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Jessy Appavoo | Aaron Leopold | Youba Sokona | Grace Mbungu | Ify Malo |
Project Manager, African Mini-Grids Community of Practice | Chief Executive Officer | Special Advisor for Sustainable Development | Junior Fellow & PhD Student | Nigeria Country Director, Power for All & CEO |
SouthSouthNorth | African Minigrid Developers Association | The South Centre/University College London | Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies | Cleantech Hub Abuja |
South Africa | Kenya | Switzerland | Germany | Nigeria |
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Dawit Tesfaye | Sankaran Ramalingam | Marvin Tumusiime | Adedoyin Adekele | María Yetano-Roche |
Managing Director | Founder | Program Officer | PhD Student & Founder | Research Fellow |
Tesfa Ilg Foundation | Energy and Fuel Users Association of India | ENVenture | International Support Network for African Development | Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy |
Switzerland | India | Uganda | Italy | Germany |

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Jabesh Amissah-Arthur | Sebastian Manchester | Scott Kennedy | Xavier Vallve | Sarbagya Tuladhar |
Executive Partner | Chief Technology Officer | Chief Executive Officer | Director | Director of Engineering |
Arthur Energy Associates | Jaza Energy | Energy Action Partners | Trama TecnoAmbiental | Sunbridge Solar Nepal |
Ghana | Tanzania/Canada | Malaysia/USA | Spain | Nepal |
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Raffy Concepcion | Peter Nyeko | Angus Marjoribanks | Avishek Malla | Rajnish Jain |
Communications and Marketing Lead | Director | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Executive Officer | Founder |
Solar Solutions Philippines | Mandulis Energy | EnerGrow | SunFarmer Nepal | Avani Bioenergy |
Philippines | Uganda | Uganda | Nepal | India |
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Fernanda Anaya | Uche Onuora | John Zamick | Ali Hemadani | Simon Batchelor |
Commercial Manager | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Executive Officer | Business Development Manager | Director |
Illumexico | HITCH | Smarter Microgrid | Smarter Microgrid | Modern Energy Cooking Services, GAMOS |
Mexico | Canada/Nigeria | UK | UK | UK |
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Anna Clements | Marie-Flore Leclercq | Kristy Dixon | Patrick C. Greene | Steve Veerman |
Energy Access Research Consultant | Strategy and Commercial Analyst | Marketing and Communications Manager | Founder / Steward | Chief Technology Officer |
Modern Energy Cooking Services, GAMOS | ENGIE PowerCorner | Pollinate Group | eCAST Inc. | HITCH |
UK | France | Canada/India | Canada | Canada/Nigeria |

Setting the Stage for Collaboration and Co-Defining Challenges
8:15 AM | Breakfast |
9:00 AM | Welcome [Jatin Nathwani, Nigel Moore] |
9:30 AM | Roundtable Discussions: Sharing Mindsets
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10:45 AM | Coffee Break |
11:15 AM | Stage-Setting Talks: Energy System Challenges and Innovations [Clark Miller, Malcolm McCulloch] |
12:00 PM | Lunch |
1:30 PM | Challenge Identification Part 1: PAIRS
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2:15 PM | Challenge Identification Part 2: TABLES
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3:15 PM | Challenge Identification Part 3: CLUSTERING
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4:00 PM | Challenge Identification Part 4: DISCUSSION
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4:30 PM | Break & fend for yourself dinner |
7:00 PM | Public Panel Discussion @ Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics [Peter Nyeko, Sebastian Manchester, Oscar Ankunda, Youba Sokona, Ify Malo, Aaron Leopold, Jatin Nathwani]
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8:30 PM | Concert @ Waterloo Town Square and True North Festival |
Working in Groups to Scope Innovations and Develop Project Plans
8:15 AM | Breakfast |
9:00 AM | Introduction
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9:15 AM | Group Work
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10:00 AM | Coffee Break & Gallery |
10:30 AM | Group Work
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11:30 AM | Group Presentations
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12:30 PM | Lunch and changing groups |
1:30 PM | Group Work
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2:15 PM | Coffee Break & Gallery |
2:45 PM | Group Work
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3:45 PM | Final Group Presentations
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5:15 PM | Break and gather @ Proof (Delta Hotel Restaurant) |
6:00 PM | Conference Dinner @ Proof (Delta Hotel Restaurant) |

Wrapping Things Up
8:15 AM | Breakfast |
9:00 AM | Bookend Lecture: A Critical Retrospective on Development and Energy Access [Carsten Hellpap] |
9:45 AM | Next Steps Plenary
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10:45 AM | Coffee break |
11:15 AM | Final Announcements
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11:30 AM | Light lunch |
12:00 PM | Break & optional social activities |
4:00 PM | Reception @ Jatin’s Condo (finish at 7pm) |
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