Kevin Johnstone

Kevin Johnstone was a senior researcher in IIED's Shaping Sustainable Markets research group until January 2026

Languages: English, French (basic), Mongolian (intermediate), Sierra Leonean Krio (intermediate)

Kevin led IIED’s work on productive uses of energy. He integrates energy as an enabling component with many others – such as gender equality and social inclusion, financing, supply chains, business acumen, and market access, alongside different adaptive, anticipatory, and absorptive capacities – working with communities to co-design and integrate resilience measures in livelihoods, especially for women who often face additional barriers to achieving their desired outcomes. He has worked with agriculturalists, pastoralists, and entrepreneurs to develop climate-sensitive business cases that increase efficiencies and incomes while strengthening wellbeing.

He also works with energy companies to reach different customers, developing more balanced and equitable value propositions that work within local economies.

Expertise

Energy access; decentralised renewable energy systems; cleaner cooking; productive uses of energy; resilient livelihoods and value chains; off-grid technology.

Before IIED

Kevin spent nine years living and working in Mongolia, Iraq, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. He operated in different capacities with the Peace Corps, UNWFP, and the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani.

He’s particularly proud of the four years he spent in Sierra Leone implementing a EUR€7 million EU energy facility project, which jumpstarted the renewable energy market there. He designed and implemented delivery models for three mini grids and dozens of standalone solar systems on schools and community banks. He spearheaded the adoption of a national solar PV curriculum based on ECREEE standards and designed a cascade of technical renewable energy trainings for lecturers at three polytechnic schools, while setting up laboratories with cutting edge equipment. He also planned and ran two successful school campaigns that promoted solar study lamps at reduced prices for students, selling 1668 lights.

Education