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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Malawi's Energy Minister Ibrahim Matola Leads Malawi Delegation for BESS Knowledge Exchange in India, Supported by GEAPP
NewsVoir New Delhi [India], July 18: Ibrahim Imed Matola, Minister of Energy, Government of Malawi, is on an official visit to India to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in the field of energy transition and sustainable development. The key highlight of the visit was Minister Matola's meeting with Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, on July 17. The discussions centred around clean energy partnerships, grid modernisation, and regional challenges for energy access and transition to low-carbon technologies. Minister Matola visited the recently commissioned Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL)'s Kilokari sub-station in Delhi on July 15, which is South Asia's largest and India's first standalone utility-scale BESS, supported by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and its partners IndiGrid and AmpereHour Energy. The project has completed over 100 charge-discharge cycles in just three months, delivering measurable financial savings of over Rs. 25 million (USD 290,000) in power procurement costs and offering a scalable model for urban energy resilience. The visit is part of a larger initiative to enable cross-border learning and deepen global South-South cooperation in the clean energy sector. With Malawi targeting a just and inclusive energy transition - over 70% of its current installed capacity already comes from renewable sources - the Malawi government is seeking to adopt India's experience with battery storage deployment, digital grid solutions, and policy design for its urban energy reforms and successful completion of its 20 MW BESS under construction at Kenengo Substation in Lilongwe with funding from GEAPP. Applauding India's leadership in energy transition, Honourable Ibrahim Matola, Energy Minister, Government of Malawi said, "India's journey toward decarbonisation and innovation in clean energy systems provides a useful case study for our country's vision 2063, with increased integration of renewable energy being a key component of the vision to drive sustainable development and economic growth. We hope to learn from and adopt these innovations to Malawi's energy landscape, as we deliver on our National Compact to provide access to an additional 2.7 million households in line with Mission 300, which aims to electrify 300 million people in Africa by 2030. Collaboration with like-minded nations and partners such as GEAPP at both national and international levels is not just desirable, it is essential as we collectively respond to the global climate crisis." In addition to the BESS site visit, the Minister and delegation also engaged with GEAPP officials and its partners, the ABB Group & RIC Energy, to understand solutions for digitalizing grid assets and adopting AI-driven tools for network planning. The Digitalization of Utilities for Energy Transition (DUET) program by GEAPP in India aims to co-create, co-design, and deploy tailored systems to support Indian distribution companies (DISCOMs). The initiative aims to integrate AI and IoT-based solutions, enabling predictive load management, reducing AT & C losses, accelerating renewable energy integration, and enhancing grid stability to reduce the carbon footprint of power operations. Commenting on the visit, Saurabh Kumar, Vice President - India, GEAPP, stated, "Achieving 50% clean power installed capacity five years ahead of schedule is a milestone that underscores India's bold climate leadership, policy foresight, and the power of partnerships. In the spirit of global South-South collaboration, GEAPP is proud to support the ongoing visit of the Hon. Energy Minister of Malawi to India - an engagement that reflects how India's leadership can translate into scalable, digitally-enabled solutions for other emerging economies. It is a step forward in our shared pursuit of inclusive, resilient, and equitable energy transition." To further global collaboration, Malawi is also one of the signatories of the BESS Consortium led by the GEAPP Leadership Council (GLC), which seeks to deploy and scale BESS in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). GEAPP is supporting Malawi's 20 MW BESS project in collaboration with the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM). The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is an alliance of philanthropy, governments in emerging and developed economies, and technology, policy, and financing partners. Our common mission is to enable LMIC's shift to a clean energy, pro-growth model that accelerates universal energy access and inclusive economic growth, while supporting the global community to meet critical climate goals during the next decade. As an alliance, we aim to reduce four gigatons of future carbon emissions, expand clean energy access to one billion people, and enable 150 million new jobs. With philanthropic partners, IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, GEAPP works to build the enabling environment, capacity, and market conditions for private sector solutions, catalyze new business models through innovation and entrepreneurship, and deploy high-risk capital to encourage private sector solutions and assist just transition solutions.

Fashion Value Chain
5 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
Malawi's Energy Minister Hon Ibrahim Matola Leads Malawi Delegation for BESS Knowledge Exchange in India, Supported by GEAPP
Honourable Ibrahim Imed Matola, Minister of Energy, Government of Malawi, is on an official visit to India to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in the field of energy transition and sustainable development. The key highlight of the visit was Minister Matola's meeting with Shri Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, on July 17. The discussions centred around clean energy partnerships, grid modernisation, and regional challenges for energy access and transition to low-carbon technologies. Honble Ibrahim Matola, Minister of Energy, Malawi meeting with Shri Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister, New and Renewable Energy at the Atal Akshay Urja Bhawan Minister Matola visited the recently commissioned Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL)'s Kilokari sub-station in Delhi on July 15, which is South Asia's largest and India's first standalone utility-scale BESS, supported by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and its partners IndiGrid and AmpereHour Energy. The project has completed over 100 charge-discharge cycles in just three months, delivering measurable financial savings of over Rs. 25 million (USD 290,000) in power procurement costs and offering a scalable model for urban energy resilience. The visit is part of a larger initiative to enable cross-border learning and deepen global South-South cooperation in the clean energy sector. With Malawi targeting a just and inclusive energy transition – over 70% of its current installed capacity already comes from renewable sources – the Malawi government is seeking to adopt India's experience with battery storage deployment, digital grid solutions, and policy design for its urban energy reforms and successful completion of its 20 MW BESS under construction at Kenengo Substation in Lilongwe with funding from GEAPP. Applauding India's leadership in energy transition, Honourable Ibrahim Matola, Energy Minister, Government of Malawi said, 'India's journey toward decarbonisation and innovation in clean energy systems provides a useful case study for our country's vision 2063, with increased integration of renewable energy being a key component of the vision to drive sustainable development and economic growth. We hope to learn from and adopt these innovations to Malawi's energy landscape, as we deliver on our National Compact to provide access to an additional 2.7 million households in line with Mission 300, which aims to electrify 300 million people in Africa by 2030. Collaboration with like-minded nations and partners such as GEAPP at both national and international levels is not just desirable, it is essential as we collectively respond to the global climate crisis.' In addition to the BESS site visit, the Minister and delegation also engaged with GEAPP officials and its partners, the ABB Group & RIC Energy, to understand solutions for digitalizing grid assets and adopting AI-driven tools for network planning. The Digitalization of Utilities for Energy Transition (DUET) program by GEAPP in India aims to co-create, co-design, and deploy tailored systems to support Indian distribution companies (DISCOMs). The initiative aims to integrate AI and IoT-based solutions, enabling predictive load management, reducing AT&C losses, accelerating renewable energy integration, and enhancing grid stability to reduce the carbon footprint of power operations. Commenting on the visit, Saurabh Kumar, Vice President – India, GEAPP, stated, 'Achieving 50% clean power installed capacity five years ahead of schedule is a milestone that underscores India's bold climate leadership, policy foresight, and the power of partnerships. In the spirit of global South-South collaboration, GEAPP is proud to support the ongoing visit of the Hon. Energy Minister of Malawi to India – an engagement that reflects how India's leadership can translate into scalable, digitally-enabled solutions for other emerging economies. It is a step forward in our shared pursuit of inclusive, resilient, and equitable energy transition.' To further global collaboration, Malawi is also one of the signatories of the BESS Consortium led by the GEAPP Leadership Council (GLC), which seeks to deploy and scale BESS in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). GEAPP is supporting Malawi's 20 MW BESS project in collaboration with the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM). About Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is an alliance of philanthropy, governments in emerging and developed economies, and technology, policy, and financing partners. Our common mission is to enable LMIC's shift to a clean energy, pro-growth model that accelerates universal energy access and inclusive economic growth, while supporting the global community to meet critical climate goals during the next decade. As an alliance, we aim to reduce four gigatons of future carbon emissions, expand clean energy access to one billion people, and enable 150 million new jobs. With philanthropic partners, IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, GEAPP works to build the enabling environment, capacity, and market conditions for private sector solutions, catalyze new business models through innovation and entrepreneurship, and deploy high-risk capital to encourage private sector solutions and assist just transition solutions.


Malay Mail
29-06-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Vision of hope: Mozambican student builds smart glasses to guide the blind — right from his dining room
MAPUTO, June 29 — When Armando Ernesto Chau straps on the futuristic smart glasses that a young Mozambican robotics student is developing in the family dining room, he has a vision of a life less confined to his modest home. Chau is the prototype tester for Joao Antonio Rego, a 24-year-old robotics and electronic engineering student driven to provide visually impaired Mozambicans with assistance that goes beyond a simple cane. Since he lost his sight 20 years ago, the 45-year-old father has not worked and rarely leaves his home in Matola, outside the capital Maputo. Rego's electronic glasses — battery-powered devices embedded with sensors that scan for obstacles ahead and emit warning vibrations — offer the promise of new possibilities. 'It is vibrating ... it is those bushes,' Chau said, demonstrating for AFP Rego's Vision Hope 0.2. 'Maybe, there is a window here... yes.' 'Because of these obstacles, it vibrates. So I go back,' he said. 'It stopped. See? Then it says there is something on this side... When I turn, it is quiet.' Resembling a virtual reality eye mask, this is Rego's latest prototype since he launched his Vision Hope project in 2021, winning Mozambique's Young Creative Award for technological innovation the following year. New features include a larger 120-degree range and more accurate sensors, explained Rego, a student at Eduardo Mondlane University. The battery, attached to a strap that is worn over a shoulder, is on a smart system that saves power and warns when it is running low. A GPS allows others to know the whereabouts of the user. Inspiration Rego is already working on improvements in his dining room workshop. 'I want the next version to have sensors capable of detecting very thin obstacles like wires and threads,' he told AFP. 'The coating also needs to be waterproof,' he said. Slim and serious, Rego was inspired to help when, years ago, he saw a visually impaired woman fall in a busy street in downtown Maputo, said his mother, Helena Inacio. 'Seeing that woman on the ground disturbed him. He vowed that he would create glasses,' she told AFP. She had asked: ''Glasses for what? So that blind people can see?' He said, 'No, to give direction.'' 'I thought it was fantasy,' Inacio said. Rego moved his lab out of his bedroom for better ventilation after a health scare led a doctor to warn about the risks of fumes from his soldering work. 'I had health problems and after an X-ray, they said there were some spots on my lungs which might have been caused by chemical fumes, like tin. It was temporary, but I must always take precautions,' he said. Robotics student and inventor Joao Antonio Rego (24) walks while wearing a smart glass prototype in Matola on June 14, 2025. — AFP pic Independence Rego's own vision is to secure partnerships that will allow him to one day produce and distribute his glasses across his impoverished country, where nearly 2.7 million people suffer vision loss, according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Chau, who lost his sight after falling ill in 2005 and undergoing treatment in hospital, has made some suggestions for the next iteration. 'I told him to first improve the roadside verification system,' he said. He would also like a sensor that can detect the pools of stagnant water that are common in his area. And, if possible, a way for detected obstacles to be identified. 'A system that communicates... about what kind of obstacle is in front of me, if it is a human being, a car,' he said. 'If the glasses are made the way I suggest, it will help us a lot, me and many other visually impaired people out there,' said Chau. When they are in production and he can get his own pair, the glasses will give Chau a new lease of life, said his wife, Felizarda Nhampule. 'Sometimes he stays here at home alone while I go out and do my errands. Sometimes he wants to go out somewhere but can't,' she said. 'With the glasses, he will be able to visit his friends and get rid of the boredom of staying at home. In case of an emergency, he can go and seek help from neighbours,' she told AFP, flashing a smile. 'So these glasses will be a great help to him and to us as a family.' — ETX Studio
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Artist Commemorates 80s Classic The Goonies in Unique Way
A Seattle artist is creating movie mementos by turning their full scripts into posters. Mike Matola of Line by Line Posters has been making his art for years, and has covered all sorts of movies, from Pulp Fiction to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Matola told Storyful that he 'meticulously' handwrites entire movie scripts, and patterns them to create iconic references to the films. Footage posted by Matola shows him unveiling his Goonies poster, with the character Chunk identifiable among the words. 'I spent over a month handwriting out the entire script of an 80s kids movie just to glorify childhood obesity,' Matola joked. Credit: Mike Matola via Storyful