Makena Ireri

Makena is a Manager at CLASP. She manages research for the organization’s Clean Energy Access programs, primarily the Efficiency’s for Access coalition and its flagship programme Low Energy Inclusive Appliances program (LEIA). Makena develops and implements research projects that support the energy access sector to accelerate the social and environmental benefits of access to energy services in Africa and Asia.

Through her work,  she  helps fill technical, market, consumer, and impact data gaps for a variety of off-grid  appliance technologies e.g. fridges, solar water pumps, agricultural processors, and cold chain technologies. Her research also covers diverse themes like productive use, interoperability of-off grid systems, affordability, and resilience. Makena is an Energy Generalist with over 8 years’ experience in a range of energy contexts.  She  spent  four years  as  a  civil  engineer with  the  UK's  largest  engineering  consultancy (Atkins)  working  in  the  civil  nuclear  energy sectors. She  worked both  in  new  asset  development  and  in  supporting the UK’s largest energy  utility(EDF). Since moving into Clean Energy Access, she has gained experience in SME advisory, Innovations in funding for and  accelerating  energy  access,  research,  and  analyses  to  support  sectoral  action and  development  project management.