REHEATZ Summer Update

It might be hard to believe that a year ago, the REHEATZ project was announced as one of the SDG Challenge Grant projects continuing to the Prize Phase. Looking back on the last year, however, it’s harder to believe that it’s only been a year since the Prize Phase projects were announced. Especially in the last three months, the REHEATZ project team has been on the road, spending time in Cape Town, Lusaka, and Ndola in June, July, and August.

In late June, we made our first visit to Cape Town. One of the REHEATZ Prize Phase plans is to expand activities beyond Zambia to other parts of Southern Africa. After desk research conducted by Mr. Lucas Novakowski and Ms. Eleanor Mancusi-Ungaro earlier this year, we chose to focus on South Africa, and Prof. Paul Coughlan’s colleagues in the Trinity College Dublin Masters in Business Administration led us to Cape Town. Once there, we met with representatives from the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa (NCPC-SA) and made site visits to Klein River Cheese and Rhodes Food Group.

Ahead of the visit, Prof. Aonghus McNabola and Dr. Godfrey Hampwaye had hosted a webinar with the South African Association for Food Science and Technology, and we had had online meetings with the NCPC-SA. These online events laid a solid foundation for our in-person meetings! Since our visit to Cape Town, we’ve taken steps to continue our work with the NCPC-SA and are looking forward to future meetings with them this fall. Although this visit was only a few days long, we hope to return to South Africa before the end of the project.

In July, the REHEATZ team came together in Lusaka for a visit to the system at Zambeef Huntley Farm. You can see a 3D tour of the site on the Communications page or online here! The new hot well and solar panels were installed by graduates from Build-It International, one of our new Prize Phase partners. In our plan for this phase of the project, the focus of the REHEATZ project has expanded slightly. In addition to the engineering aspects of the project led by Prof. Aonghus McNabola, we’ve taken a more active role in social impacts and capacity building in Zambia. Build-It’s work in skills training for Zambian women and youth has allowed us to work together to promote green jobs training and employment.

The week in Lusaka was also a chance for the Irish team members to meet with our existing Zambian stakeholders -- including the Ministry for Green Energy and Environment and the Embassy of Ireland – and make introductions to new possible partners at ABSA, WWF, and the Ministry of Health.

*(L-R): Prof. Paul Coughlan, Dr. Godfrey Hampwaye, Prof. Aonghus McNabola, and Prof. Pádraig Carmody outside the WWF office in Lusaka*

After a few days in Lusaka, Mr. Derrick Bwalya Tembo, Ms. Nchimunya Simbwelede, and Ms. Eleanor Mancusi-Ungaro left the other team members behind and drove to Ndola. There, they participated in the 59th Zambia International Trade Fair ahead of REHEATZ’ participation in the Lusaka Agricultural Fair just last week. Meanwhile, back in Ireland, Energy Science MSc students Sandra Vinothu Kavalackal and Maaz Khan presented their work on the REHEATZ project to professors, students, and industry representatives at the annual Energy Science Seminar.

What’s next for the next year? We hope to install a heat pump at Zambeef later in 2025 to round out the system and submit a policy draft to the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment to support the development of similar systems in Zambia in the future. Post-project, we will continue our work through a Zambian-led nonprofit.

REHEATZ Summer Update

Build-It International Announces Collaboration with REHEATZ