Project - MAESHA
Mayotte – Decarbonizing Energy Systems on Geographical Islands
The energy supply is transformed into a flexible system based on renewable resources, while the local population develops awareness and knowledge about energy and climate change. This creates space for the emergence of integrated community energy systems that can specifically support people in disadvantaged living situations who have little or no access to energy yet.

Region
Mayotte, France

Funding
European Commission, H2020 Funding Programme

Partners
Technical University of Berlin (TUB), Electricité de Mayotte, Cobra Group, Centrica, Trialog, E3Modelling, cyberGRID, TECSOL, Creara, Hive Power, Bovlabs, Association Leonard de Vinci, Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna, Collectivité de Saint-Barthélémy, Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias, Comune di Favignana, Gozo Business Chamber Association, Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe, Greening the Islands, Euroquality

Project Focal Point
Anna Siegert

 

Technological and institutional change, depletion of fossil fuel resources, and climate change are making a radical transformation of energy systems around the world inevitable. Our project takes place in Mayotte, which is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean and consists of one main island, one smaller island, and several very small islands in the surrounding area. According to official statistics, 299,348 people live on Mayotte, and the additional amount of those without official residency status is estimated to be very high. Energy supply is a challenge and is characterized by dependence on imported fossil fuels. The current energy supply system is expensive, causes high levels of pollution, and the lack of interconnectors affects the resilience of the grid and places a huge burden on the local population. The name “MAESHA” means “future” in Shimaore, the local dialect, and its main goal is to decarbonize the energy system by promoting the large-scale deployment of renewable energy systems based on the needs of the local population.

Hudara’s role in this project is to ensure a community-based approach and end-user consideration in the emerging business models. Local communities will be informed and involved to ensure ownership and adoption of the energy transition. Where energy supply is not yet in place, integrated community energy systems will be developed to enable the simultaneous integration of decentralized energy resources and the involvement of the local population in energy supply.