Applications open for AFSIA Solar Awards

Deadline: 18 September 2024

The Africa Solar Industry Association is pleased to announce the AFSIA Solar Awards to recognize and celebrate exceptional talent and achievements in the African solar market.

The AFSIA Solar Awards intend to recognize and celebrate companies and individuals that have contributed outstandingly to promoting and advancing the use of solar across Africa in its full diversity.

This year, the AFSIA Solar Awards will once again recognize good practice, professionalism, quality, safety and innovation, with the aim of being a marker of the brightest and best that the African solar industry has to offer.

Categories

Utility scale solar project of the year
C&I solar project of the year
Mini-grid project of the year
SHS company of the year
Productive use application of the year
Storage project of the year
African solar company of the year
Solar entrepreneur/SME of the year
Advisor/consultant of the year (financial/legal/technical)
Deal/financing program of the year
Solar innovation of the year
Solar picture of the year
Solar video of the year
Lifetime achievement award

Award Information

All nominees in each categories will receive free tickets to attend REFA – the Renewable Energy Forum Africa in Tunis on November 6th and 7th.
The winner will be selected by a combination of the vote of an expert jury and public voting.

Eligibility Criteria

Utility scale solar project of the year
- project must be located in Africa
- project must be a grid-connected project with national utility as off-taker
- project must have been commissioned between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
C&I solar project of the year
- project must be located in Africa
- project must be a grid-connected or stand-alone solar system with a single non-residential private off-taker
- project may include solar only, solar + storage or any other hybrid system including solar technologies
- project must have been commissioned between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
Mini-grid project of the year
- project must be located in Africa
- project may be a single mini-grid project or a group of mini-grids
- project must involve 1 single point of power generation involving a solar component and multiple electricity users (residential and/or productive uses)
- project must have been commissioned between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
SHS company of the year
- company must be active in energy access activities through manufacturing, financing, distribution or any key enabling services for pico-solar and/or SHS products
- company must be legally registered in at least 1 African country
Productive use application of the year
- project/application must be located in Africa
- project/application must be a solar-powered system rightly characterized as a direct driver of income
- project/application may include solar only, solar + storage or any other hybrid system including solar technologies
- project/application must have been commissioned between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
Storage project of the year
- project must be located in Africa
- project must have a storage component or be a storage-only project
- the storage component may be based on any kind of technology
- project must have been commissioned between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
African solar company of the year
- company may be active in any type of activity across the solar value chain and may focus on any solar segment (large-scale, C&I, mini-grid, SHS, irrigation, cooking, …)
- company must be in operation for more than 4 years or must count more than 15 staff members
- company must have headquarter legally registered in 1 African country
Solar entrepreneur/SME of the year
- if application by a single entrepreneur: entrepreneur may have any nationality and must reside in Africa
- if application by an SME: SME must be legally established in any African country, must be established for less than 4 years and must not count more than 15 staff members
- entrepreneur/SME may be active on any part of the solar value chain and may focus on any solar segment (large-scale, C&I, mini-grid, SHS, irrigation, cooking, …)
Advisor/consultant of the year (financial/legal/technical)
- company may be legally established in any country
- company must be have been financial/legal/technical advisor or consultant to a project based in or a company legally established in at least 1 African country
- advisory or consultancy service must have taken place between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
Deal/financing program of the year
- company may be legally established in any country
- company must be have been involved in transaction about a project based in or a company legally established in at least 1 African country
- transaction may be governed by traditional or non-traditional financing principles such as impact investment, crowdfunding/lending, concessional financing, grants, micro-financing,
- transaction must have taken place between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
Solar innovation of the year
- innovation may pertain to a product, a system or a service
- innovation must have a clear application to the African continent
- innovation may exist for a long time but must have made tangible and verifiable breakthrough between August 25th 2023 and September 11th 2024
Solar picture of the year
- picture must have been captured in Africa
- applicant must be legal right owner of the picture
- AI-generated pictures are authorized
- picture may not have been submitted in previous AFSIA Solar Awards
Solar video of the year
- video must have been captured in Africa
- video must not be longer than 3 minutes
- applicant must be legal right owner of the video
- AI-generated videos are authorized
- video may not have been submitted in previous AFSIA Solar Awards
Lifetime achievement award
- possible to nominate self or someone else
- nominee must have demonstrated long-term commitment and tangible efforts to supporting and advancing the use of solar energy in Africa
- nominee may be based anywhere in the world