Best Practices for Decentralized Energy Solutions Focusing on Lighting and Power in Humanitarian Settings

This webinar, jointly hosted by the Clean Energy Solutions Center and the UN Foundation’s Energy Access Practitioner Network, in collaboration with Safe Access to Fuel and Energy Humanitarian Working Group (SAFE WG), highlighted best practices for the nexus of energy access and humanitarian relief with a particular focus on the timely and appropriate distribution of decentralized energy solutions for lighting and power. The webinar was the second in the UN Foundation’s best practices webinar series to share recommended methods for energy access efforts in different geographic and thematic contexts.

The webinar explored the role of distributed energy solutions in humanitarian, conflict and displacement settings. The panelists introduced their respective work streams on this nexus issue then joined a moderated discussion to delve deeper into remaining barriers and opportunities around scaling the procurement and inclusion of distributed energy solutions in humanitarian relief efforts.

Luc Severi, Manager, Energy Access, United Nations Foundation will introduce the topic and provide context to the broader best practices webinar series.

Kathleen Callaghy, Program Associate, Humanitarian, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (the Alliance) will provide a primer on energy access for humanitarian relief and discuss the role and activities of the SAFE WG, which the Alliance co-chairs, in advancing the global discussion of humanitarian energy access and building the capacity of practitioners.

Paul McCallion, Senior Energy Advisor, UNHCR Geneva will highlight work being done by UNHCR on streamlining the inclusion of distributed energy products in humanitarian relief efforts, and share insights into specifications required by UN coordinating agencies when procuring appropriate products.

Mason Huffine, Africa Business and Sales Manager, LittleSun and Olivier Jacquet, Global Account Manager – Refugees, Emergency & War, Sustainable Development/Global Strategy, Schneider Electric will showcase best practices for sustainable lighting products appropriate for use in humanitarian contexts from a practitioner perspective, and share lessons learned from their respective countries of focus.

The presentations will be followed by an interactive question and answer session with the audience guided by Luc Severi, United Nations Foundation.

Panelists

Mason Huffine

Mason Huffine is a longtime advocate for energy access in the global south, starting in 2008 as the Country Director for SolarAid/Sunny Money TZ developing sustainable community solar projects including over 80 kW on 120 large-scale distributed PV projects for health centers and schools. At the social business Sunny Money, he created new markets for pico-solar products and pioneered the Schools Campaign that has now sold over 1.8 million solar lamps to students in Africa. As Project Director for ICS for TZ 21st Program, he supported the deployment of over 1,000 systems totaling 240 kW. At Solar Nexus International he consulted to different private companies, NGO’s and local solar business as a project developer on rural electrification projects. At LittleSun GmbH as Africa Business & Sales Director, Mason has worked to expand business in Africa and developed a strong humanitarian program within the company.

Luc Severi

Luc Severi is a Manager on UN Foundation’s Energy Access activities, focusing primarily on the energy access gap in the health sector. Luc’s academic background is both commercial and social, holding a Master’s in Commercial Engineering from KULeuven and an MSc Development Management from the London School of Economics. Prior to starting his current work with UNF, Luc worked in Mozambique, Senegal and Liberia for several international NGOs and social enterprises, including SolarNow and Save the Children International. Throughout his career, Luc has been an active participant in the green and circular economy, working primarily with renewable energy solutions for off-grid and rural households, schools and health centres.

Olivier Jacquet, Global Account Manager Refugees, Emergencies and War — Sustainable Development — Schneider Electric

Olivier Jacquet studied electrical engineering at University College, London UK, and at the French High School Centrale-Supélec. After he graduated his MSc, he studied his MBA at College des Ingénieurs in Paris, France. Since 1998, Olivier has held various positions at Schneider Electric in solution sales and manufacturing, and since 2004, he has entered general management roles as Factory Manager in Western France, then as Zone Manager in Vietnam Philippines and Cambodia, and lately as Senior Vice President for international projects in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region.

Kathleen Callaghy, Program Associate, Humanitarian, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

Since 2015, Kathleen has provided technical advice, communications support and advocacy strategies to implement the alliance’s goal of reaching the world’s most vulnerable populations with clean and/or efficient cooking solutions. As Program Associate, she coordinates the alliance’s co-leadership of the Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) Humanitarian Working Group, a consortium of agencies working to facilitate a more coordinated, predictable, timely and effective response to the fuel and energy needs of crisis-affected populations. Prior to working with the alliance, Kathleen served as Program and Operations Coordinator for CLASP, an international energy efficiency non-profit, where she coordinated the activities of CLASP’s country offices in India, China, the United States and EU. Kathleen has a Master’s degree in Comparative Ethnic Conflict from Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and a BA in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College.

Paul McCallion

Paul McCallion is an Energy Officer with UNHCR based in Geneva within the Division of Progamme Support and Management (DPSM), and he provides technical support to a range of projects from large-scale renewable interventions to the nuts-and-bolts analysis of small-scale local technologies. Paul has experience covering international best practices and indigenous knowledge on renewable energy planning and technology deployment, which he accumulated from implementing projects across 36 countries ranging across private, development and humanitarian sectors.