A2EI

Nearly 700 million people worldwide still lack energy access, and reliance on fuel generators and unclean cooking harms public health and the climate.

We need clean, efficient, locally tailored solutions — and broad, reliable large-scale data collection, rigorous research, and open-sourceOpen sourceSoftware, hardware designs or data published under a licence that lets anyone use, study, change and share them. A2EI publishes its tools and data this way. software to deliver actionable insights. We collect and analyze data from solar generators and energy appliances to inform research and sector recommendations.

Our open-source data platform, Prospect, automates data workflows for planning, finance, and monitoring of energy access and transition programs across Africa.

Building upon open data and research, A2EI co-develops open-source hardware, field-testing solar systems and turning real-world data into actionable design improvements.

From our solar generator project to the development of scalable, low-cost metering prototypes, we help scale reliable, efficient hardware that raises product quality and sector confidence.

Financing remains a major barrier for sustainable energy. We address this with innovative models like the GGF, a non-profit providing results-based, iterative financing to de-risk growth and supply stock to solar distributors.

To build trust and enable scaling, we offer our open-source platform Prospect for transparent verification, monitoring, and management of energy programs, including results-based finance and carbon creditCarbon creditsTradable certificates, each for one tonne of CO₂ emissions avoided or removed. Projects that replace fuel generators or charcoal can earn them, once the savings are measured and verified. schemes — helping attract funding to apply climate-smart technologies across the Global South.

Addressing climate change, pressure on resources, and inequality requires collective action. A2EI is a networking hub connecting entrepreneurs, policymakers, multilaterals, academia, and financers.

As a non-profit, we close R&DR&DResearch and development: investigating and testing new solutions — products, methods or data — so they can be improved and put to use. gaps that the private sector can't or won't fill, and treat insights as a common good.

Together with a global network of partners and engineering, software, and finance experts, our workshops and webinars and our data releases and reports strengthen research and guide hardware, software, and financing across the energy access sector.

Our core impact is expanding renewable energy access for communities, businesses, and institutions, and advancing climate action through research, development, and finance of clean energy alternatives.

We focus on creating positive impact through SDGSDGsThe 17 Sustainable Development Goals the United Nations adopted in 2015 for 2030. SDG 7 is affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all; SDG 13 is climate action.Read more synergies. We help boost local economic growth through efficient solar generators and productive-use appliances. We support efforts to reduce deforestation by replacing charcoal with clean cooking, and we help improve public health and livelihoods by providing reliable energy to public institutions and humanitarian services.