Date: 26 – 28 April, 2023
Location: Universitat de les Illes Balears in Palma, Spain
On behalf of the Partner Organizations, we are pleased to announce and invite you to join the 4th edition of the International Conference on Solar Technologies and Hybrid Mini-Grids to improve energy access, at the Universitat de les Illes Balears in Palma, Spain on April 26-28, 2023.
The 3rd edition was successfully held in a complex COVID-environment in 2021 in a hybrid format with many participants attending physically. It was a real pleasure to meet again, and participants encouraged us to carry on this conference series in a face-to-face format. This 4th edition is going to be face-to face although the organizers will prepare some contingency plans just in case the pandemic threatens again.
As in previous editions, the main objective is to provide an opportunity for an exchange between practitioners from the industry, academia, and development institutions working in the field of decentralized energy access and local development. The conference will cover hands-on technical, social, and environmental considerations, and business and management aspects with the aim of sharing experiences, learning from each other, and networking.
Solar PV and thermal technologies and other decentralized renewable energy technologies offer a unique opportunity to provide access to modern energy services to more than 1 billion people lacking access to energy in ru ral areas worldwide. Access to modern energy is an enabler and a necessity condition to improve the livelihood of households, to increase productivity of micro and small enterprises, to improve services of public institutions, and to provide crisis response to displaced communities.
However, access to energy should be imbedded in cross-sectoral activities to achieve maximum impact. Thus, energizing health centres and schools will lead to better medical services and education if energy efficient appliances are included and proper management schemes are in place. Local enterprises can invest in electrical equipment or solar thermal systems if they have access to finance and markets. Mini-grids can transform communities if the potential of energy is enhanced. It is the intention of the conference to discuss the nexuses of energy access with other sectors more in depth providing a forum to exchange hands-on experiences and innovative approaches, with a focus on the end users and how to catalyse uses of energy to impact the sustainable development goals.
The conference will provide an overview on the status in different solar technology areas and provide a space for exchange between participants, presenting their results from scientific research and experiences from the field.
We, as chairs, would be pleased to welcome you to the conference and encourage you to actively contribute to a successful event.