Category: Energy & Environment
Project: Aftrak
Partners: Loughborough University, The Consortium for Battery Innovation, Tiyeni, Clarios
This year’s winner in the Energy & Environment category hits both sides of the brief, harnessing innovative energy technology to help communities transform their environments and increase agricultural yields.
Led by the University of Loughborough, Aftrak combines an off-grid solar and storage microgrid system with a bespoke electric tractor vehicle. It enables African farmers to carry out deep bed farming (DBF), a technique developed by Malawian non-profit Tiyeni.
The walk-behind electric tractor at the heart of Aftrak is a bespoke design, powered by an off-grid solar array manufactured specifically for easy field assembly. The array is a series of modular units comprised of two 550W front and 115W back bifacial solar panels, MPPT, 48V battery bank, inverter for mains power supply, and charger for the Aftrak Micro Electric Tractor. While Africa has a long history with microgrids, results have often failed to meet expectations.
“During our research, we found the microgrids, when deployed across sub-Saharan Africa, weren’t generating sufficient income during their lifespan to pay for the maintenance and to keep them well supported,” explained project lead and lecturer in Sustainable Energy Systems at Loughborough University, Dr Jonathan Wilson. “Now, our new system allows solar microgrids that provide energy to electrify the entire community that then supports our solar electric tractors.
“In Malawi farmers cannot access the staples of modern life such as refrigeration and lighting without access to electricity - a luxury only 11 per cent of the population benefit from. We have developed a self-sufficient solar micro electric tractor, increasing crop yields, profitability and the continued purchase of electricity for sustainable farming practices."
An Aftrak team headed out to Malawi in June 2024 to implement the first phase of Aftrak integration within local communities. Taking place over two weeks, the trial delivered two tractors to a community for field testing during land preparation season under the guidance of Tiyeni. The solar farm to charge the tractors has electrified a small, isolated community of 22 people with around 5kW and 25kWh electricity per day.
According to Loughborough’s Professor Dani Strickland, from the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, the team accomplished a “phenomenal amount” during their short time on the ground in Malawi.
“We’ve built one solar farm with eight panels, enough to provide electricity to the village,” said Prof Strickland. “We have also undertaken a small solar farm as a demonstrator at the Tiyeni headquarters. It was a real team effort.
“We want the villages to feel like they have access to more electricity so they can improve their lifestyles and potentially increase education opportunities for the youngsters. They can also hopefully start growing businesses, bringing more income and using that to help maintain the solar farm going forward.”
It has taken less than two years from Loughborough University’s first conversation with the CBI to reach this point. Together with Tiyeni, Aftrak is now ready to deploy the technology with a network of champions already established across Malawi, with the potential to transform communities across the whole of Africa.
France Gondwe is the Monitoring and Evaluation manager at Tiyeni and has worked with smallholder farmers for more than two decades. He believes Aftrak is going to make a substantial difference to the people living there.
“Aftrak solves many different solutions for farmers,” said Gondwe. “Some of the households which now have access to electricity are already plugging in equipment and are using that for cooking, cleaning and even entertainment purposes.
“Aftrak will also help farmers in breaking the hardpan which will allow them to create more deep beds – potentially increasing the yield up to two or three times per hectare. This will then lead to more food and greater income. Obtaining sufficient yields has been a real challenge for farmers as we tend to get a lot of rainfall – which leads to flooding. So, this innovation helps people tremendously during these times.”
The collaboration combined Loughborough’s engineering expertise, CBI’s innovation management, and Tiyeni’s agricultural knowledge to create a solution that was both innovative and practical. Challenges in multidisciplinary teamwork were addressed through clear communication, regular meetings, and a commitment to shared goals, ensuring a cohesive strategy.
The 2024 trial demonstrated that Aftrak can help address a variety of issues. The project aligns with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, principally sustainable energy, but also those around tackling poverty, hunger, economic growth, gender inequality, education and climate action.
“This was a trial to see if it was feasible to implement Aftrak in Africa,” said Prof Strickland.
“We’ve obviously found that it is, so we’d be looking at a proper field trial which would run for potentially up to two years. We’d have lots of these around Africa. We’d be looking at different areas so we could monitor what was happening at different places and obviously we’d be working with Tiyeni to help monitor that impact. All going well, we would like to roll this out not just across Malawi but also neighbouring countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, potentially to the north.”
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