Africa-eu Renewable Energy Research and Innovation Symposium, 2018 ― 23?6 January 2018, National University of Lesotho on Occasion of Nulistice 2018

This open access book presents the proceedings of the 2nd Africa-EU Renewable Energy Research and Innovation Symposium (RERIS 18), held in Maseru, Lesotho in January 2018. The symposium aimed to foster research cooperation on renewable energy between Africa and Europe – in academia, as well as the private and public sectors. 

Addressing thematic areas such as

• Grid-connected renewable energy;

• Decentralised renewable and household energy solutions;

• Energy socioeconomics; and

• Promotion of energy research, innovation, education and entrepreneurship,

the book brings together contributions from academics and practitioners from the EU and Africa to enable mutual learning and knowledge transfer – a key factor in boosting sustainable development in the African renewable energy market. It also plays a significant role in promoting African renewable energy research, which helps to secure energy supply in both rural and urban areas and to increase generation capacities and energy system resilience. This book is an invaluable resource for academics and professionals across the renewable energy spectrum.

Moeketsi Mpholo is the leader of the Energy Research Centre (ERC) at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). He is the chair of the 2nd Africa-EU Renewable Energy Research & Innovation Symposium (RERIS 2018) Scientific Committee. He served in the executive management of NUL as a Director of ICT before leading the ERC. He obtained his PhD from Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. He co-founded a Cambridge Lab on Chip start-up company based on PhD research in Cambridge, UK. He received a Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Award in 2005 for being the best candidate in Lesotho in a Physics related discipline. He has been featured in Marques Who’s Who In Science and Engineering in America since 2011. He has organised a number of national workshops on energy and climate change related matters on behalf of both the academic institutions and the private sector. He has published widely on energy matters primarily on Solar and Wind Resources. He continuously works with a number of institutions, companies and development partners on energy projects. He is currently working in the Cost of Service Study in collaboration with MRC Group of Companies for the electricity regulator (Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority). Moreover, he collaborates on research projects and teaching programs with a number of regional universities (University of Botswana, Namibia University of Science and Technology, etc.) and a number of international universities (University of Pennsylvania (USA), Case Western Reserve University (USA), Hochschule Darmstadt – University of Applied Sciences (Germany).