This year, the SET Alliance introduced the Efficiency-as-a-Service (EaaS) Innovation Showcase Award, inviting manufacturers, suppliers, and installers to submit their most innovative and impactful ‘as-a-service’ projects. This global competition is designed to celebrate cutting-edge solutions that demonstrate energy efficiency, decarbonisation, reduced environmental impact, and broader social benefits. After reviewing outstanding entries from around the world, meet the SET Alliance selected winners for the 2024 EaaS Innovation Showcase Award. Their groundbreaking work will be highlighted through member and partner networks, and featured in detailed case studies.
The SET Alliance proudly celebrates the winners of the inaugural EaaS Award:
- Zuwa Energy (Malawi): Supporting rural health centers with solar microgrids, cutting COâ‚‚ emissions by 500 tonnes and improving healthcare services.
- Oorja Development Solutions (India): Empowering smallholder farmers with solar-powered irrigation, achieving a 96% reduction in diesel reliance.
- Kaer (Singapore): Implementing Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) for airport facilities, reducing dnata’s carbon footprint by 650 tonnes annually.
The winners embody the mission of the SET Alliance to accelerate the global adoption of EaaS models contributing to the energy transition.
Zuwa Energy: Upgrading healthcare facilities in Malawi with Solar-as-a-Service
Healthcare facilities in remote areas often lack access to reliable electricity, severely limiting their ability to provide quality medical care. In response, Zuwa Energy has developed a solution that installs solar electricity systems as-a-service to power essential equipment like lighting, medical devices, computers, and internet services in health centres. This approach ensures that critical healthcare services can operate consistently while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
For this project, Zuwa Energy deployed nine solar microgrids across health centres, designed to exceed the average daily energy demand of 8 kWh to handle peak loads. These systems have drastically improved operations, increasing facility operating hours from 12 to 24 per day and enhancing security for healthcare workers at night. The project has achieved a 100% reduction in fuel costs, eliminated diesel usage, and avoided 500 tonnes of COâ‚‚ emissions over 18 months, showcasing the transformative potential of clean energy in improving healthcare delivery and environmental sustainability. Over the past 20 months several facilities have also constructed new staff houses, highlighting how reliable electricity may help to attract and retain healthcare workers and support infrastructure development.
This initiative not only improved healthcare delivery but also enhanced safety for health workers and patients, exemplifying how EaaS can positively impact public services.
Oorja: Empowering smallholder farmers in India with irrigation and climate-smart advisory as-a-service
Oorja has launched an impactful project to address the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in India, who often rely on costly fossil fuels due to unreliable electricity access and high upfront costs for clean energy solutions. By deploying a decentralised solar-powered service package, Oorja offers farmers affordable irrigation and climate-smart farm advisory services through an innovative pay-per-use model. This approach eliminates the financial barrier of technology acquisition, making clean energy accessible to low-income communities.
As part of the project, Oorja installed 100 solar pumps with a combined capacity of 796 kWp in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. These systems are currently used by over 4,500 active customers and indirectly benefit more than 33,000 individuals, including household members. The project has generated 2,100 MWh of clean energy, leading to a 96% reduction in diesel consumption among users and abating 3,100 tonnes of COâ‚‚ emissions. By enabling sustainable energy access and reducing operational costs for farmers, this initiative supports improved agricultural productivity, lower environmental impact, and enhanced livelihoods in the region.
Kaer: Achieving high efficiency with Cooling-as-a-Service at Singapore Changi Airport
Kaer, a leading provider of Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) in Asia, has implemented an innovative CaaS project at Singapore Changi Airport to enhance energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. This initiative equips dnata, a global air and travel service provider, with sustainable cooling solutions for its cargo, catering, and support facilities. The project involved retrofitting existing systems with high-efficiency, low Global Warming Potential (GWP) technology and advanced tools such as data mining, machine learning, and carbon monitoring software. These upgrades optimise energy usage, ensure real-time tracking of energy consumption and carbon emissions, and provide advanced ESG reporting capabilities.
The impact of the project has been transformative, with dnata achieving a 54% reduction in energy consumption at its cargo facility and a 35% reduction at its catering and support offices. These efficiency gains translate to annual savings of 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and a reduction of around 650 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions—equivalent to removing 530 petrol-powered cars from the road or supplying electricity to 464 homes annually.
The project complements dnata’s existing sustainability efforts, which include a rooftop solar installation with 6,500 panels generating over 4,300 megawatt-hours of green energy annually. This CaaS project exemplifies the potential of innovative business models and cutting-edge technology to drive sustainability in critical infrastructure.
More to come!
By showcasing projects like Kaer’s CaaS solution, Oorja’s solar irrigation systems, and Zuwa Energy’s healthcare-focused microgrids, the SET Alliance seeks to inspire stakeholders to adopt servitisation models that prioritise sustainability and efficiency. The team is developing case studies to shed light on important aspects of the winning projects, including details about the business model, technical specifications, as well as the financial and non-financial benefits reaped by providers and end-users.
Among the applications received, SET would also like to highlight several project:
- District heating and cooling as-a-Service in Belgium, by Circular bv, DuCoop cooperative’s solution utilises advanced strategies for waste heat and water treatment to serve a local district
- Cooling-as-a-Service for food processing in South Africa, by Energy Partners Refrigeration, an industrial refrigeration system retrofit project featuring a new natural refrigerant solution.
- Cold chain solutions as-a-Service for improved livelihoods in Nigeria, by Solarcool, providing local communities with decentralised, off-grid cold chain infrastructure to increase post-harvest revenue, reduce wastage, create jobs, and reduce emissions.
The EaaS Innovation Showcase Award is an initiative of the SET Alliance, which promotes the adoption of EaaS business models across applications such as cooling, heating, lighting, solar, battery storage and electric vehicles. EaaS can enable end-users to access systems optimised for efficiency and performance without the burden of upfront investment costs, whilst ownership, maintenance, and operational responsibilities remain with dedicated expert solution providers. Scaling the adoption of cleaner and more efficient technologies using innovative business models can reduce environmental impacts, enhance resilience, and improve livelihoods worldwide. As EaaS models continue to gain traction, the SET Alliance remains at the forefront of supporting this critical shift, ensuring a more sustainable and equitable energy transition for all.
Stay tuned for the case studies and look out for the next call for submissions in 2025!
To learn more about the model check out our servitisation page or get in touch.
