Africa’s clean energy transition requires more than ambitious targets. It requires robust evidence, locally relevant data, and decision-making tools capable of reflecting the technical, economic, environmental and social realities of diverse regions.
EMERGE (Energy System Modelling for Green Development of Africa) is a Horizon Europe research project that develops an open, collaborative framework for energy system modelling, helping African policymakers, researchers, investors and local stakeholders design cleaner, more resilient and more inclusive energy systems. Through knowledge exchange between Europe and Africa, the project combines advanced modelling with participatory processes to support long-term sustainable development.
Why it matters
Many existing energy planning models focus primarily on technical optimisation while overlooking local socio-economic conditions, governance frameworks and stakeholder priorities. This often limits their ability to support effective policy and investment decisions.
EMERGE addresses this gap by integrating technical modelling with local knowledge, policy analysis and stakeholder engagement. Rather than developing another standalone software solution, the project creates a shared ecosystem where data, modelling tools and expertise can support evidence-based energy planning across different African contexts.
By combining European research excellence with African institutional and local knowledge, EMERGE contributes to more informed, transparent and locally owned clean energy transitions.
What the project does
EMERGE develops an open-source Toolbox that brings together energy modelling methods, optimisation algorithms, databases and digital platforms into a common framework for analysing renewable energy systems. The Toolbox is designed to support scenario development, renewable energy integration, flexibility analysis and decision-making across different territorial contexts.
Alongside the technical platform, the project establishes a Knowledge Base that collects case studies, datasets, best practices and capacity-building materials to strengthen knowledge exchange between European and African partners.
The project validates its approach through participatory pilot activities in three African ecosystems:
- North-West Africa (Morocco)
- The Niger River region (Nigeria/Mali)
- Mozambique
Across these pilot regions, researchers, policymakers, industry representatives and local communities co-design solutions that continuously improve the modelling framework while ensuring it reflects real-world needs and priorities.
Expected impact
EMERGE aims to strengthen Africa’s capacity to plan and accelerate its clean energy transition through better data, better models and stronger collaboration.
The project will deliver:
- an open-source energy system modelling Toolbox for renewable energy planning;
- a collaborative Knowledge Base supporting long-term capacity building;
- policy recommendations for enabling clean energy markets;
- stronger cooperation between European and African research and innovation ecosystems;
- improved evidence for public authorities, investors and energy planners designing future energy systems.
Engreen’s role
Engreen leads the stakeholder engagement activities across Europe and Africa, ensuring that the project’s technical development is informed by the perspectives of policymakers, researchers, industry and local communities.
Our work focuses on designing and implementing participatory processes that populate the EMERGE Knowledge Platform and support the co-creation of energy modelling tools tailored to the needs of North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Through workshops, stakeholder engagement and pilot validation activities, Engreen helps bridge advanced energy modelling with local knowledge, enabling solutions that are technically robust, socially relevant and easier to adopt.
Consortium
Coordinator
- University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (UNIZAG, Croatia)
Partners
- Engreen (Italy)
- Fundación CARTIF (Spain)
- Fundación CIRCE (Spain)
- Artelys (France)
- AfriLabs (Nigeria)
- European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance (Austria)
- ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency – ECREEE (Cabo Verde)
- Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (Mozambique)
- Brain Information Technologies (Croatia)
- Université Mohammed Premier (Morocco)
Official website: https://emerge4green-africa.eu/
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101118278. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.
