- acciona.org is awarded for its initiative to develop renewable energy solutions in humanitarian emergencies in partnership with Action against Hunger.
- The award-winning project aims to develop an innovative technological tool to help humanitarian actors calculate their electricity needs in each emergency situation and offer a catalog of solutions based on renewable energy.
The Greening Humanitarian Response in Emergencies Contexts, developed by acciona.org in partnership with Action against Hunger, has been awarded as one of the best Sustainability Actions 2023. The event recognizes the commitment and promotion of environmental and social sustainability of foundations, NGOs, public administrations, enterprises, startups, organizations and academic institutions.
Cristina Ruiz Martínez, Energy Manager at acciona.org, and Amador Gómez Arribas, Director of Research and Innovation at Action against Hunger, received the prize. The awards ceremony was held at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid during the third edition of Sustainability Day 2023, a day organized by Compromiso RSE and Equipos&Talento.
The award-winning initiative aims to develop innovative solutions to help humanitarian actors integrate renewable energy into emergency responses. To this end, a user-friendly tool is being developed that will first assess the specific energy needs of each type of response, including the needs of the affected population, and then facilitate decision-making for energy provision, incorporating the possibilities that renewable energies offer.
The project, which is financed by the European Union, has a planned implementation period of two years and is being carried out between Spain and the Philippines. The pilot phase of the project will take place in the Philippines, which is characterized by the high number of recurrent emergencies - with an average of 22 tropical cyclones per year - and will test the efficiency of the tool created during a real emergency.
In the last phase of the project, many training and dissemination activities will be carried out to disseminate the tools among humanitarian actors and facilitate their appropriation. The participation of selected humanitarian actors in all phases of the process will ensure the real usefulness of the tool developed.
The renewable energy proposal for humanitarian emergencies is a further step towards decarbonization and reduction of environmental impact, especially in challenging contexts.