Improving access to sustainable energy in rural Pakistan using food and fiber agro-waste as a renewable fuel (SAFER)

Partners: Northumbria University

Country: Pakistan

Technology: Smart green grids including mini and main grid technologies

Stage: Early

Stage: Round 10

More than 50% of people in Pakistan’s rural areas live without electricity. It increases their reliance on energy imports and fossil fuels.
SAFER seeks to improve access to sustainable energy in rural Pakistan by harnessing agro-waste from fibre production and turn it into a sustainable and accessible energy source.

It forges two technologies to create a circular model based on food, fibre, and energy while rendering zero waste. One technology produces high-quality textile fibres using agro-waste such as banana peels. The fibre production process generates a second round of agro-waste, maximising resource use. Through a second technology, the power of agro-waste to generate syngas can be harnessed and used to produce electricity.
By converting agro-waste into renewable fuel, SAFER can alleviate the burden on Pakistan’s overstretched energy sector.
Beyond energy production, SAFER can also help improve Pakistan’s textile sector, the country’s largest exporter and facilitate effective waste management.