Zero Emissions Utility (ZERO) Workshop

How can humanitarian operations become more resilient while cutting costs and emissions?

The A2EI, the Global Platform for Action (GPA) Secretariat, and The Carbon Trust (providing philanthropic funding through the Transforming Energy Access ZE‑Gen programme) met for a two‑day workshop to speed up the Zero Emissions Utility (ZERO) project. The initiative replaces diesel generators with resilient solar Energy‑as‑a‑Service solutions to reduce carbon emissions and save millions for humanitarian agencies.

We reviewed the first two pilot sites with a UN agency in Chad, estimated to save $1M USD over 10 years, and began mapping a scaling pipeline of 10–20 additional pilot sites across Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Sudan. Work is underway to expand remote monitoring and impact visualizations on Prospect, refine the ZERO business model, and engage de‑risking and guarantee providers to make EaaS commercially viable.

Looking ahead, the project will intensify monitoring across 40–50 sites and aims to deploy another 10 systems by early 2027. To broaden impact, efforts will shift toward fundraising and rolling out clean renewable power for humanitarian operations. We look forward to collaborating with partners to make this vision a reality.

Learn more about ZERO: https://zero-emission.energy/