LEDS for Africa: Unipd students bring sustainable energy to Guinea Bissau
03.07.2025
The LEDS – L’Energia Degli Studenti project, initiated in 2012 by engineering students from the University of Padua, evolved into LEDS for Africa in 2017 under the guidance of Massimo Guarnieri, a professor from the Department of Industrial Engineering. The objective is to provide renewable energy to the isolated village of Ponta Cabral in Guinea Bissau.
«LEDS4Africa (L4A) is part of a broader development programme for the socio-economic redevelopment and revival of Ponta Cabral, coordinated locally by Brother Michael Daniels, head of the Franciscan mission in Quinhamel», explains Massimo Guarnieri. The aim is to equip each household with a small autonomous photovoltaic system with storage capacity, following the Solar Home System (SHS) concept. Each house will have a solar panel, a battery, LED lights, a mobile phone charging point, and an electronic controller to manage power flows. The project also includes training the villagers to manage the systems, integrating this technology into an informed, aware, and self-sufficient social context, ensuring the population maintains them in good condition for years to come.
The LEDS for Africa project, initiated in 2017, initially trained students in subjects not covered by traditional courses, such as design, assembly and testing of prototypes within the Department of Industrial Engineering. Subsequently, the executive projects were defined and the necessary components, which were difficult to find locally, were identified. Finally, materials and components were ordered according to the available budget and directly shipped to Guinea Bissau, including the equipment for the installation of Solar Home Systems.
To date, LEDS4Africa has completed four missions, installing thirty home lighting systems and one system for the local school. In the future, the home systems may be connected into a "nanogrid" to optimise power flows.
The latest mission installed a solar submersible pump for well water, with a water tower for domestic and irrigation use.
Furthermore, educational materials were provided to the local school students thanks to the support of Italian companies.
«Environmental sustainability is a priority for L4A," emphasises Professor Guarnieri, "in line with our core values and with the aim of reducing energy poverty and its consequences in terms of underdevelopment, devaluation, and cultural isolation».
The Unipd students, volunteers for L4Africa, inspired by the values of solidarity and international cooperation, work to ensure access to safe and clean electrical energy in one of the world's poorest countries, contributing to the United Nations' sustainable development goals.
