Dr. Benjamin K. Sovacool visits MEER's experimental sites in Freetown
Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Sussex, Dr. Sovacool spent two days touring MEER's upcycling, passive-cooling and hectare-scale sites across Freetown.
Dr. Sovacool's tour began at the Aberdeen roundabout, where MEER runs an upcycling training program teaching more than 30 trainees — including participants with disabilities — how to reuse materials effectively and turn PET bottles into outdoor furniture.
In Kroo Bay, one of Sierra Leone's most densely populated informal settlements, he saw ground-based mirror arrays reflecting incoming solar radiation away from homes, alongside a live demonstration of the temperature and humidity sensors used to measure indoor conditions.
The visit closed at Crab Town, MEER's hectare-scale site, where neighborhood-scale albedo modification is being studied against outdoor air temperature, circulation and radiation. Dr. Sovacool's endorsement helps propel these community-first initiatives onto a global platform.