Profile: on Ridaa Manuel

THE JOURNEY TO ENERGY FOR ALL

WE LOOK AT HOW ONE MAN’S INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS ARE PAVING THE PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ACROSS AFRICA.

By: Zakiyah Ebrahim

The field of engineering has long turned to multiple sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man but as time progresses, we’re learning the critical importance of understanding and developing designs in balance with nature. Ridaa Manuel, founder of Green New World, chatted to Science Stars about how he merged his studies and expertise in engineering with his passion for nature and the environment.

An eye-opening experience

It was when Manuel visited and travelled from village to village across Malawi in 2016 that he realised what a “third world country” truly meant. “Its people lived extremely simple lives and ‘lived off the earth’. They literally made the bricks for their houses from sand; ate bananas and mangos from the trees that surrounded them; and made boats from trees which they used to catch fish for their meals,” he tells us.

But access to electricity in many of the areas was limited. Living without electricity is the reality of approximately 85% of Malawian households, reveals USAID. “At night, we would walk through the towns and villages, and the entire town would be dark. Many people would swarm along the main roads and catch fish in Lake Malawi in the dark. Any activities such as doing homework required candles,” Manuel explains. Manuel says he also travelled across South Africa and engaged with hundreds of people in many townships. By 2017, data showed that almost 91% of the South African population had electricity access, but people living in township regions were not so fortunate. Manuel highlights that 90% (over 600 million) of people in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa have no access to electricity or clean cooking fuels. Another challenge is that, due to their terrain, it is hard to connect many rural areas to the central grid. Moreover, most of

the coal-powered plants and infrastructure that go with it are in a very bad condition due to poor maintenance and lack of expertise, which he witnessed in Malawi. “In both cases, the lack of access to resources like electricity, food, and wealth disempowered its people, but creating a system that provides these resources will empower them to reach their full potential as human beings,” he stresses. It’s not all doom and gloom, he explaind. Africa has an abundance of renewable energy, including solar and bioenergy. “Accessing this form of energy to solve the energy access problem seems to be the solution,” he says. A post on Green New World’s Instagram page indicates that in one hour, earth receives enough energy from the sun to power it for an entire year.

Creating a ‘Green New World’

“Green New World was born out of months of deep diving to find my true authentic self and my life’s purpose,” Manuel told us. It was founded in 2020. As a green business, its aim is to design and build low-cost renewable energy technologies (applications) that will be fueled by the resources available to people in sub-Saharan Africa. Ultimately, it will assist in solving and decreasing the energy poverty problem across the continent. Green New World is currently focused on three phases, Manuel previously told the Big Issue magazine. Phase one involves researching and developing these low-cost applications to allow African countries to access different forms of renewable energies from the sun, wind, waste, and water. These technologies will then be sold to the local community to fund further research and development. Currently, it is in search of a philanthropist or business that is willing to purchase them. The parts will be sold via their Instagram and Facebook pages (@greennewworld23) and their soon-to-be-launched website. “Every young person must Phase two will combine the different applications to provide for human understand that everything energy needs, such as hot water, they are going through, or gas for cooking and other forms studying, is for their greater purpose in the future” of energy. This process will lead to the building of a complete off-grid energy system that can then be used to power an off-grid village. In other words, communities won’t have to depend on public utility services (an electrical power grid) for their power source.

The third phase will combine this off-grid renewableenergy system with other sustainable ways of living, such as aquaponics for farming and sustainable houses using natural materials. With these innovations introduced to communities who really need them, Manuel explains it will open up doors to education, hospitals, farming and so much more.

In December 2020, Green New World tested its first prototype, a solar panel, and found that it heated water to between 40-80°C and quickly moved on to developing its second

prototype. When it was successful, they made it one of their goals to design and develop an off-grid shower.

Through countless moments of trial and error, as well as immense frustration, Manuel also managed to build a plasticbottle geyser that uses plastic bottles and milk cartons – essentially combining waste and solar energy – to heat up water. He’s confident that this low-cost technology will help solve the energy access problem by providing access to water and assisting in cleaning up the environment.

Manuel has also developed a geyser panel using wood, aluminium, Styrofoam and glass. It incorporates the thermosiphon effect, which allows water in the tank to be heated without the need for any pumps or elements, but only energy from the sun.

Green New World’s vision is slowly progressing, but while its long-term vision is for it to be a vehicle to build a sustainable future, it is also the responsibility of the youth, and every person reading this, to play their part in building a green new world, Manuel said.

“I always knew I wanted to study engineering”

Manuel graduated from Livingstone High School in Cape Town. He received three distinctions in maths, life sciences and geography, and came pretty close to achieving a distinction in physics.

“I knew that I wanted to study mechanical engineering with the intention of merging engineering with nature. At that time, I knew I eventually wanted to learn about renewable energy.”

After high school, he completed a diploma in mechanical engineering. He went on to do his in-service at AfriSam, followed by completing a BTech in mechanical engineering. He graduated with a whopping eight distinctions and is currently doing his Master’s in energy with the intention of designing the renewable energy system. His wish is that he’ll be able to use this to change the condition of the people in the townships of South Africa and the villages of Africa for the better.

In fact, all his studies and work experience has been directly linked to his current mission, Manuel tells us. “Every young person must understand that everything they are going through, or studying, is for their greater purpose in the future, so they should take full advantage of their current experiences."

“For example, my previous job was a development technician, and my function was to design, procure, manufacture and test jigs in the aeronautics industry. Now, I design, procure, manufacture and test renewable energy applications that I hope will change the world. It’s all connected.”

On a journey

The United Nations has set a goal to provide energy for everyone by the year 2030. But, irrespective of their goals, Manuel has his own personal aspirations: to travel through Africa with the knowledge he is learning to help solve the energy access problem – and he’s happy for people to support or assist him along the way.

“My personal view is that eventually, large groups of youth will join me and that organisations will back me on this mission that will lead us to move through Africa at a rapid pace and provide energy for all – before 2050,” he says.

How to get involved

If you want to find out more about Green New World, contact Manuel at ridaa@greennewworld.co.za. You can keep up with his journey via Green New World’s Instagram and Facebook pages (@greennewworld23).