Conference Chair Message  

On behalf of the Partner Organizations (EnDev, GIZ, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, REPIC, Siemens Stiftung, SNV and WISE) and the Scientific Committee, we are pleased to invite you to join the third International Conference on Solar Technologies and Hybrid Mini-Grids to improve energy access, at the Unversitat de les Illes Balears in Palma, Spain on April 1-3, 2020.

The main objective of the conference is to provide an opportunity for an exchange between practitioners from the industry, academia and development institutions working in the field of decentralized energy. The conference will cover technical, business and management aspects of solar technologies and mini grids with the aim of sharing experiences, learning from each other and networking. 

Solar technologies (including photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies) offer a unique opportunity to provide access to modern energies to more than 1 billion people in rural areas worldwide. Access to modern energy is an enabler and a necessity condition to improve the quality of life of households, to increase livelihood opportunities and productivity of enterprises and to professionalize the services of public institutions. However, access to energy should be embedded in cross-sectoral activities to achieve maximum impact. Thus, powering health centers and schools will only lead to better medical services and education if the necessary resources for appliances are available and proper management systems in place. Micro and small enterprises often invest in efficient equipment only if they have access to finance and to new markets. Solar crop drying or solar process heat can increase significantly the local added value of fresh produce. Mini-grids will transform rural communities if the full potential of the energy is used in the villages.

It is the intention of the conference to discuss the nexus of energy access with other sectors more in depth. The conference will also provide a forum to exchange experiences with the different business models in the field of solar technologies and mini-grids and innovative approaches. The conference will invite acknowledged experts to provide an overview about the status in different technology areas and give room to participants, which want to present their results from scientific research or experiences from the fieldwork.  

We as chairmen would be pleased to welcome you to the conference and encourage you to actively contribute to a successful event.

Call for papers deadline: October, 7 2019. Submit a paper