Project co-lead Dr Francis Otieno with fourth-year physics students at Maseno University, Kenya
A NEW international partnership led by Swansea University is being launched to develop affordable, next-generation all-perovskite tandem solar cells for African climates, supporting long-term energy access and local manufacturing opportunities across East Africa.
The SOLACE (Solar Alliance on Clean Energy) project brings together researchers in the UK, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania to co-develop advanced solar technologies while building shared skills, training opportunities and research expertise.
Access to reliable, affordable and clean energy remains a major barrier to economic development, healthcare delivery and education in many African countries. In Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, expanding energy access is essential for supporting growing populations and strengthening climate resilience.
Solar power offers a clear route to improving energy access, but the current silicon solar technologies that dominate the global market are expensive and energy-intensive to manufacture — they have not yet been produced at scale anywhere in Africa.
All-perovskite tandem solar cells offer a promising alternative, as they can be processed at low temperatures using solution-based methods, significantly reducing manufacturing costs and energy requirements.
Developing these technologies with African laboratories opens the door to future local manufacturing, supporting job creation, strengthening supply chains and helping to keep more of the value chain within the continent.
The project will advance understanding of charge transport, recombination and device stability, and develop fabrication methods that are robust under real-world conditions typical of equatorial climates.
Training schools and researcher exchanges across partner institutions, along with a UNESCO Campus Africa bootcamp, will support skills development in solar device physics, fabrication and characterisation.
The project also places strong emphasis on inclusion, with a commitment to gender equity and supporting the development of early-career researchers.
Project lead Professor Matthew Davies, from Swansea University’s Chemical Engineering Department, said: “SOLACE brings together complementary expertise across Africa and the UK to deepen our understanding of next-generation perovskite solar devices while building long-term research capability.
“By combining advanced characterisation, modelling and fabrication, we aim to develop the understanding needed to deliver efficient, stable solar technologies suited to deployment in African climates.”
Dr Francis Otieno, project co-lead at Maseno University, Kenya, added: “The SOLACE project represents a powerful platform for advancing research collaboration between the UK and Africa, fostering deep scientific exchange and capacity building.
“By strengthening expertise in fundamental studies such as charge transport and material dynamics, the initiative is cultivating a new generation of skilled researchers while laying the groundwork for scalable, low-cost solar technologies.
“For Maseno University, Kenya, this is an opportunity not only to participate in cutting-edge innovation, but to co-create solutions with strong potential for local manufacturing, widespread deployment, and long-term energy sustainability.”
It builds on collaborations initiated through TEA@SUNRISE and adds to existing UK–Africa initiatives such as the REACH-PSM project, which is developing pathways for local perovskite module manufacturing in Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa.
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