Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. Now in its second year, the Battery Innovation Challenge was conceived by a South African Schneider Electric engineer and is funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation.
It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges. The initiative also forms part of the foundation’s New Skills for the Future and Innovation programme. This year’s winners demonstrated technical ingenuity, community relevance and strong potential for scaling impact, and have received Euro cash prizes from the Schneider Electric Foundation. They are:
Zimbabwe
• University of Zimbabwe − LithiumX: Low-cost recycling of lithium-ion batteries using eco-friendly hydrometallurgy.
• National University of Science and Technology − Ukukhanya: Affordable solid-state sodium–air hybrid battery delivering clean, off-grid community power.
• Harare Institute of Technology − PowerPulse: Aluminium–air chemistry battery using recycled aluminium and organic waste-based cathodes.
Kenya
• Strathmore University − Afya Cell: AI-powered battery health analyser that extends battery life for EVs, solar and IoT systems.
• Meru University − E-Waste Management Through Renewable Energy Integration: Recovering lithium-ion batteries from e-waste for affordable community solar storage.
• Machakos University M ChargeAgain: Repurposing discarded vehicle batteries for sustainable solar storage in rural communities.
South Africa
• University of the Witwatersrand – BioWatt: Harnessing microbial fuel cells and efficient circuits to generate electricity from organic waste while promoting STEM education and reducing e-waste.
• University of the Witwatersrand − EcoVolt Innovation: Pioneering sodium-ion and solid-state hybrid batteries using recycled materials, AI-powered monitoring and community training.
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology − BioGlux: A biodegradable, glucose-powered medical implant battery.
• Sefako Makgatho University − Renewa Fuels: Converting biodiesel by-products into bio-batteries.
Nigeria
• Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University − Energiv: Converting plastic waste into carbon nanotubes to enhance lithium-ion batteries.
• Ahmadu Bello University − Cell Matrix: Machine learning-based smart battery management system to prevent overheating and extend lifespan.
• Kaduna Polytechnic − SmartVolt: Adaptive charging algorithm extending battery life through intelligent charge control.
The programme also celebrates the continued success of the 2024 winners who have used the prize money from the Schneider Electric Foundation to further develop their concepts, including:
Zimbabwe’s second place winner, Bindura University of Science Education, evolved their project CaLIX into VoltStep, a micro-battery module capable of storing the low-voltage current generated from piezoelectric sensors. This is a commercially viable, socially impactful enterprise. In the first year, the project sold 8070 pairs of VoltStep shoes, generating $104 910 in revenue, and provided reliable lighting access for 892 rural students by extending study hours, producing over 900 kWh of renewable kinetic energy, with household lighting costs reduced by up to 65%.
Nigeria’s Ecovolt is a scalable clean energy solution made from recycled e-waste. It powers household appliances and small businesses, and created 20 youth jobs having sold 40 units, with 55 more on order currently.
In South Africa, the Airnergy & Tech Solutions team has gone on to successfully commercialise their ElectroBoost300 solution, a 300 W portable power station, now on Takealot, providing reliable lithium-based storage for households, students and small businesses. “Schneider Electric believed in us. Their support and funding helped Airnergy & Tech build a viable product, and that gave our team the confidence to keep pushing forward,” says Neo Moabi of Airnergy & Tech Solutions.
“These innovations demonstrate the ingenuity and determination of Africa’s youth to reimagine the energy landscape. This year’s entrants where all winners in their own right and we wish them all the success to take their innovations forward,” says Letitia de Wet, CEO and country director of Enactus South Africa.
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