HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-10: Renewable Energy Valleys in Africa to increase energy security and… — expected outcomes, evaluation and traps

Topic	HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-10
Status	Forthcoming
Call	HORIZON-CL5-2027-02 — BATTERIES and ENERGY
Destination	Ensuring more efficient, sustainable, secure, and competitive renewable and decarbonised energy supply (2026-27)
Type of action	Innovation Actions
Opening	3 December 2026
Deadline	31 March 2027
Budget	around EUR 4.5 million per project · 2 projects expected · EUR 9 million in total
TRL at the end	TRL 8
Part B page limit	40 pages (standard application form; check your call)
Template	Work Programme 2026–2027 application form

Expected outcomes

Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes. The topic says: “Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:”

EO1 Strengthening of the joint EU-AU Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Collaborative Partnership efforts, with emphasis on improving the visibility of EU Science Diplomacy actions in Africa and supporting Global Gateway Strategy priorities.
EO2 Acceleration of the achievements of the African countries’ targets of the Paris Agreement.
EO3 Increase the roll-out of local or regional renewable energy system solutions for electricity, heat and fuel needs and contribute to a fair trade between Africa and Europe.
EO4 Create new sustainable silks and jobs linked to local or regional renewable energy system value chains and enhance economic growth in local or regional African communities.
EO5 Increase the readiness, reliability, performance and affordability of local or regional renewable energy system solutions in Africa.

Expected impacts named in the destination

The wider, long-term effects the destination seeks. Your outcomes feed them; they are not project deliverables.

EI1 Energy producers have access to efficient and competitive European renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies with a solid knowledge base and are able to deploy them to enhance the EU’s energy security and reach its climate neutrality objectives, in a sustainable way in environmental (e.g., biodiversity, multiple uses of land and water, natural resources, pollution) and socioeconomic terms, and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
EI2 Technology providers have access to European, competitive, resilient, reliable, sustainable, and affordable value chains of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies including emerging ones, and with strong export potential to supply both the EU internal and global markets. They benefit also from circular renewable energy technologies that are safe and sustainable by design with reduced and diversified external dependence on critical raw materials.
EI3 Economic sectors benefit from better integration of renewable energy and renewable fuel-based solutions that are, among others, competitive, cost-effective, efficient, flexible, reliable, and sustainable. Such integration is facilitated through digitalisation and integration of artificial intelligence of renewable energy technologies that provide network stability and reliability.
EI4 European industries benefit from a reinforced export potential of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies, also through international partnerships, and become more competitive in innovative renewable energy technologies in Europe and globally.
EI5 European researchers benefit from a stronger community and from a reinforced scientific basis on renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies including emerging ones, also through international collaborations.
EI6 European citizens have access to an energy market that is fair and equitable, more resilient, uses all different types of local renewable energy resources, and is less dependent on fossil fuels imports. Citizens experience less fuel and energy poverty, and also benefit from new employment and upskilling opportunities. Local communities benefit from a more decentralized, affordable, and secure energy system and from multiple uses of land and water.
EI7 R&I actions will support the just digital and green transformation of the energy system through advanced solutions for accelerating the energy systems integration and decarbonisation. The developed clean, sustainable solutions will contribute to making the energy system work better for actors and supply more reliable, resilient and secure energy – even under increasingly more frequent extreme climate events.
EI8 The solutions developed will contribute to increase flexibility and grid hosting capacity for renewables through optimizing cross sector integration and grid scale storage as well as cover off-grid situations. They will improve the preparedness of the electricity system to support the EU's binding target for 2030 of minimum of 42.5% renewables in the gross final energy consumption (with the aspiration to reach 45%), and full decarbonisation by 2050. They will enable further electrification of demand and will enhance the competitiveness of the European value chain, reduce pressure on resources (also by making technologies ‘circular by design’) and decrease dependencies. Such solutions would…
EI9 The solutions will improve consumer awareness and engagement in the energy transition, via innovative offers and services (e.g. demand response, energy communities) and will target different types of consumers, including “hard to reach” population groups (such as energy poor or low-income households). This will result in increased trust in, and uptake of the new products and services entering the energy system.
EI10 Accelerated deployment of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) as a CO2 emission mitigation option in electricity generation and/or in industry applications, as well as carbon dioxide removal for negative emissions.

What evaluators will look for in this topic

Expected outcomes

Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes.
For each outcome (EO1 to EO5), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.

What the scope asks for

Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.

“The action should cover either urbanised or rural contexts in Africa.”
“It should contribute to providing sustainable renewable energy access and creating other socio-economic benefits, such as improved health, economic wealth, skills and jobs, while reducing the stress on the environment, notably on biodiversity, adopting a Water Energy Food Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach and following methods of the circular economy.”
“Actions are expected to cover the design, construct, commission and operate the demonstration installation, including aspects of energy needs and energy consumption, of grid stability and grid reinforcement in the region concerned.”
“Actions should also develop and implement a tailored value chain approach, identifying the most suitable manufacturing value chains, on the basis of the local context, local material supply chain(s) and local workforce, with the objective of ensuring sustainable local economic development.”
“African SMEs are expected to play an important role in the overall value chain and to contribute in the identifying the needs.”
“Participation of EU private sector actors should also be encouraged in alignment with the priorities of Global Gateway Strategy.”
“Actions should also include the identification of technical, vocational and educational needs of the workforce and propose relevant training and qualification activities.”
“Actions should finally define a market and business strategy that could take into consideration funding from European and international financial instruments and development finance programmes to ensure impact through a quick and viable commercial take-up of the technological solution demonstrated.”
“Social innovation should be considered.”
“The business plan is expected to include appropriate consideration of available financial support instruments (local, regional and/or international) to enhance the speedy market deployment of the solution.”
“Proposals are expected to include a life cycle analysis showing the impact of the proposed solutions when compared to other technologies/solutions on the environment, on climate change targets and on the social and the economic dimensions, taking a cradle to grave viewpoint, encompassing the design and the operation phases.”
“The life cycle analysis should take a cradle to grave approach.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

Part B, sections 1–3: 40 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
TRL: the topic expects TRL 8 by the end of the project. State where you start and the evidence for it.
Innovation action: evaluators expect a plausible path to commercialisation and named first users or customers.
Other Eligible Conditions: “In line with the “ restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas ” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to…”
Other Eligible Conditions: “Due to the scope of this topic, legal entities established in all African Union member states are exceptionally eligible for Union funding.”
Other Eligible Conditions: “The following additional eligibility criteria apply: At least two legal entities established in at least two different African Union member states must be part of the consortium as beneficiaries.”
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes: “The following additions to the general award criteria apply: For the criterion 'Quality and efficiency of the implementation', in addition to its standard aspects, the following aspect shall constitute a major element: Demonstrated access to necessary land and / or permits for operation at the time of application and…”

Impact pathway and traps

Users or citizens are part of the scope. Show how they take part in the design and testing, not only that they are informed.
The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
Open science or data practices are named. Make the data management plan concrete: which data, which repository, when.
The gender dimension is named in the topic. Show how sex and gender analysis enters the research content, not only team balance.
Life-cycle or safe-and-sustainable-by-design assessment is expected. Name the method and where in the work plan it runs.
Market uptake is part of the scope. Evaluators look for a credible route to market with named first adopters.
Policy or regulation is in scope. Name the policy owners you will reach and what you will give them.
Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.

The scope, as published

Renewable energy valleys are understood as decentralised renewable energy systems that offer a viable and efficient solution to the challenges mentioned above. For example, local production and consumption, reduced transmission and distribution losses thanks to the reliance on local networks for energy needs, greater operational flexibility and reduced dependence on expensive fuel imports all contribute to a higher energy autonomy, a more secure supply, and lower, more stable overall energy costs, including for individual citizens. In addition, this alleviates a part of the load on the centralised grid and avoids blockages by the capacity of the grid. The action should cover either urbanised or rural contexts in Africa. It should contribute to providing sustainable renewable energy access and creating other socio-economic benefits, such as improved health, economic wealth, skills and jobs, while reducing the stress on the environment, notably on biodiversity, adopting a Water Energy Food Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach and following methods of the circular economy. Actions are expected to cover the design, construct, commission and operate the demonstration installation, including aspects of energy needs and energy consumption, of grid stability and grid reinforcement in the region concerned. Actions should also develop and implement a tailored value chain approach, identifying the most suitable manufacturing value chains, on the basis of the local context, local material supply chain(s) and local workforce, with the objective of ensuring sustainable local economic development. A gender sensitive approach could further support the activities, taking into account relevant groups in a vulnerable situation such as rural communities, and women. African SMEs are expected to play an important role in the overall value chain and to contribute in the identifying the needs. Participation of EU private sector actors should also be encouraged in alignment with the priorities of Global Gateway Strategy. Actions should also include the identification of technical, vocational and educational needs of the workforce and propose relevant training and qualification activities. Actions should finally define a market and business strategy that could take into consideration funding from European and international financial instruments and development finance programmes to ensure impact through a quick and viable commercial take-up of the technological solution demonstrated. Social innovation should be considered. The business plan is expected to include appropriate consideration of available financial support instruments (local, regional and/or international) to enhance the speedy market deployment of the solution. The aspects of regulatory environment and local communities’ governance needs and/or impacts are also to be considered. Proposals are expected to include a life cycle analysis showing the impact of the proposed solutions when compared to other technologies/solutions on the environment, on climate change targets and on the social and the economic dimensions, taking a cradle to grave viewpoint, encompassing the design and the operation phases. The life cycle analysis should take a cradle to grave approach. Proposals should adopt a circular economy approach. Whenever negative impacts have been identified, mitigations measures are expected. As the demonstration installation will be located in Africa, relevant African partners have to participate in the implementation of the project. A balanced involvement in the activities of the projects of European and African partners will be considered an asset in the evaluation. Actions should also participate in and contribute to the African Union - European Union collaborative research action on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy, in particular through cooperation/collaboration with the project LEAP-SE (www.leap-re.eu). Alignment with Global Gateway ongoing activities on renewable energy in Africa should be also prioritized, including the collaboration with EU Delegation and EU private sector actors in Africa, as well as with the Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and Cluster 6’s topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage. Lesson learned from the implementation of European Renewable Energy Valleys projects should be considered. These projects are REFORMERS and CRETE VALLEY. Proven access to necessary land and / or permits for operation at the time of application and / or convincing risk management regarding delayed availability of land or permits are expected in the proposal.

Technology readiness, as published

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL. For an example of a methodology for the assessment of sustainability, circularity and contribution the EU resilience and technological autonomy of clean energy technology in the R&I pipeline, please see Study on circular approaches for a sustainable and affordable clean…

Source and attribution

Topic text from the official topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, retrieved 19 October 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU (CC BY 4.0). Changes: the expected outcomes and impacts are split into numbered statements, long passages are shortened, and the evaluator checklist is GrantWise's own commentary. Your call and the Work Programme always win; check them before you submit. GrantWise is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Commission.

Renewable Energy Valleys in Africa to increase energy security and energy access in Africa

Expected outcomes

Expected impacts named in the destination

What evaluators will look for in this topic

Expected outcomes

What the scope asks for

Conditions that shape the proposal

Impact pathway and traps

Other topics in HORIZON-CL5-2027-02

Source and attribution