7 October 2026
A major milestone for Entrance Student Award winner Phillip Peters: his award-winning research has now been officially published in Elsevier’s scientific journal Energy for Sustainable Development.
Phillip won the Entrance Student Award last June for his research into how investment can be attracted to mini-energy systems in refugee camps by reducing investor risk. The case study for the research focused on Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The jury was impressed by both the societal relevance and the practical applicability of his work.
Many mini-grids in remote areas struggle to attract investors. One of the key reasons is the uncertainty surrounding future electricity demand and consumption. This uncertainty often makes investors hesitant, despite the crucial role these energy systems can play in expanding access to sustainable energy.
In his research, Phillip developed a financial model designed to reduce this risk. He examined how the deployment of electric two-wheelers, combined with a first-loss demand-risk guarantee, could contribute to a stronger and more attractive business case for investors. The findings demonstrate that such a guarantee can help make investments in sustainable energy projects both more attractive and more financially viable.
The research was published under the title “De-risking Equity Investment for Productive Use Integration in Mini-Grids: Designing a First-Loss Demand-Risk Guarantee for E-Mobility in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya”.
For Phillip, the publication marks a significant achievement:
“I am very happy to share that our research paper, titled ‘De-risking Equity Investment for Productive Use Integration in Mini-Grids: Designing a First-Loss Demand-Risk Guarantee for E-Mobility in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya’, has now been published in Elsevier’s journal Energy for Sustainable Development.”
At Entrance, we believe that emerging talent has an important role to play in the energy transition. The publication of Phillip’s research demonstrates how students with innovative ideas can contribute to solutions for complex global energy challenges.
Interested in learning more about the research? Read the article here.
