Renewable electricity effort receives Roy Award

The Kennedy School of Government (KSG) has announced that the 2007 Roy Family Award for Environmental Partnership will go to the Hybrid Systems for Rural Electrification in Africa (HSREA). The HSREA project provides reliable, renewable electricity to rural African villages through a system of solar panel technology combined with modified diesel motors running on pure plant oil from the jatropha nut.

The award is given biannually to celebrate an outstanding partnership project that enhances environmental quality through the use of novel and creative approaches. It will be presented to the recipients this spring.

The HSREA project is a public-private partnership between Energiebau Solarstromsysteme, a German solar technology provider with international expertise, and InWEnt-Capacity Building International, Germany, a nonprofit organization with expertise in human resources development and dialogue facilitation.

“Providing sustainable energy to people living in rural Africa is of critical importance to reducing world poverty and improving the quality of life for millions of men, women, and children,” said Henry Lee, director of KSG’s Environment and Natural Resources Program, in announcing the 2007 award winner.

The partnership was selected from a group of highly qualified nominated projects from around the world that tackled tough environmental problems ranging from clean fuel adoption to nuclear waste cleanup. More than 20 experts from both inside and outside the University reviewed the nominees. Reviewers praised how the hybrid systems partnership addressed “the urgent need for renewable energy projects in stemming environmental destruction and alleviating poverty.”

The Roy Family has been a longtime supporter of the development of public-private partnerships to meet social goals. The award attempts to provide positive incentives for companies and organizations worldwide to push the boundaries of creativity and take risks that result in significant changes that benefit the environment.