Aftrak off-grid energy project wins Milken Motsepe Prize in Green Energy
A Loughborough University led initiative aiming to bring affordable green energy and food security to communities across Africa has won the Milken Motsepe Prize in Green Energy.
Named Aftrak, the project was among four other finalists vying for the $1m prize that was announced at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles on May 6, 2024.
Aftrak is a self-sustaining system made up of a solar microgrid, a micro electric tractor – both invented and built at the University – and Deep Bed Farming (DBF), a practise that disrupts compacted soil, inhibits soil erosion, and captures rainwater close to where crops are grown. Once established, DBF more than doubles crop yield and gives smallholders additional income that can be used to purchase electricity from the microgrid, thereby creating a self-sustaining model for decentralised energy access.
The Aftrak Micro Electric Tractor Unit is a battery and solar powered machine whose main purpose is to prepare compacted soil for DBF -using a 5kW motor that drives a circa 500rpm chain trencher that can dig down to 400mm - but can also provide electricity for off-grid homes.
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