The International Energy Storage Challenge, led by the Faraday Institution, accelerates the delivery of disruptive battery technologies to provide reliable and sustainable energy in developing and emerging economies with on-grid, significant off-grid, and weak grid populations. This is delivered through a research and development programme to reduce the cost and improve the performance of battery energy storage systems (BESS) technologies for use in developing country contexts. This Challenge is led by the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform
Ayrton Challenge: Zero Emissions Generators
SUNRISE is an international project that seeks to address global energy poverty through the research and development of next-generation solar technologies. The project is currently demonstrating the effectiveness of these technologies through a series of demonstrators in rural India. It is led by the Swansea University and unites several leading universities and industrial collaborators from the UK and Global South in a transdisciplinary research collaboration. It is supported by the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform.
The Zero Emissions Generator Accelerator (ZE-Gen) was launched at COP27 in November 2022. It aims to enable the replacement of millions of polluting and expensive fossil-fuelled generators by accelerating the transition to renewable energy-based alternatives. ZE-Gen will focus on innovation, finance and investment, market intelligence, and ecosystem building to bring stakeholders together from across relevant sectors to accelerate the phase out of fossil fuelled generators. ZE-Gen is led by the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform.
Transforming Energy Access (TEA) is the flagship Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) research and innovation platform supporting early-stage testing and scale-up of innovative technologies and business models that accelerate access to affordable, clean and modern energy, enabling sustainable, and inclusive growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific region. This includes clean energy supply technologies (e.g. next generation solar), super-efficient demand solutions (e.g. efficient appliances, sustainable cooling, modern cooking) and smart delivery solutions (e.g. energy storage, green grids, hydrogen). It targets people and enterprises who have no or limited access to clean, modern energy services and limited opportunities to participate in, or benefit from, the energy sector through employment and income generation opportunities. TEA leads on several Ayrton Challenges including ‘Next Generation Solar’, ‘Zero Emissions Generators’, ‘Energy Storage’, ‘Clean Hydrogen’, ‘Inclusive Energy and Leave No One Behind’, ‘Sustainable Cooling for All’ and ‘Energy Efficiency’ (via the LEIA programme), and supports ‘Clean Transport’ and ‘Smart Energy Systems’.
The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) is led by the World Bank and aims to support activities within the energy access sector globally by delivering critical international market data and sector tracking products, on a cost-sharing basis with multiple donor bilateral and philanthropic partners. ESMAP tools include the SDG 7 Tracking Framework, the Multi-Tier Framework for Energy Access, the Regulatory Index for Sustainable Energy (RISE), and the Global Electrification Platform. ESMAP develops and maintains specialised energy datasets and analysis relevant across the Ayrton Fund’s scope. ESMAP also delivers training and advice to World Bank Task Team Leaders and client Governments on emerging energy technologies and related policies, and capacity building for national statistical offices in monitoring and tracking SDG 7.1.1 and 7.1.2 indicators. ESMAP is supported by the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform and the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme.