A Chinese translation is available at the end of the update. 

London and Nairobi, 09 September 2025 – A new international partnership between ZE-Gen (the Zero Emissions Generators initiative) and CLASP has been launched today to transform the solar generator market, by improving consumer choice, affordability and reliability.

The collaboration aims to drive competition and inspire innovation in solar-powered generators, with a focus on markets in low- and middle-income countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Pacific Islands. By promoting cleaner alternatives, the partnership supports efforts to phase out polluting fossil fuel generators and expand access to sustainable energy solutions.

ZE-Gen and CLASP will launch a new international Solar Generator competition with $100k in innovation prizes under the Global LEAP Awards, to showcase high-performing and efficient solar-powered generators designed for communities and SMEs. Winners and finalists will be featured in a buyer’s guide that provides product performance information to support informed purchasing decisions.

The Global LEAP Award nominations open 8 October 2025.  The competition will be supported by the VeraSol quality assurance framework, which ensures transparency in product performance, safety, and reliability, and includes the development of rigorous test methods and lab- and user-testing protocols to evaluate entries and establish broader standards for the solar sector.

Globally, around 1.5 billion people live with weak, unreliable, or no access to electricity. More than 82.6 million fossil fuel generators are currently in use, contributing to pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, noise and health risks, while imposing unpredictable fuel costs. In contrast, modern solar-powered generators offer cleaner, quieter, and more cost-effective alternatives.

Historically fossil fuel generators have dominated the market due to availability, upfront cost, and perceived reliability. However modern high quality solar-powered generators eliminate the need for fuel, making them a more sustainable and economical solution in resource-constrained settings.

ZE-Gen lead, Lily Beadle from Carbon Trust said:

“The rapidly emerging market for solar-powered generators has huge commercial potential and offers a more reliable and safer solution for energy than highly polluting fossil fuel generators. Our new partnership with CLASP will develop a new quality assurance workstream which supports ZE-Gen’s wider programme of work and will help protect customers when they switch to renewable energy.”

CLASP’s Senior Director, Africa, Emmanuel Aziebor added:

“In emerging economies, solar-powered generators are a game changer for people and businesses without access to reliable electricity. Testing and showcasing innovative, efficient, and user-friendly products will support CLASP and ZE-Gen’s mission to ensure cleaner, affordable generators powered by renewable energy become the default option for communities everywhere.”

This new partnership is part of ZE-Gen and CLASP’s broader work under the UK Government’s  Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, part of the Ayrton Fund.

 

Background Information: ZE-Gen

Launched at COP27, ZE-Gen, is the leading international initiative working to improve the lives of people across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Pacific Islands by driving the use of renewable energy in place of polluting fossil fuel generators.

ZE-Gen is a collaborative initiative by  Carbon Trust and Innovate UK and has an ambition to mobilise £100m of funding to inspire action and implement real-world change, delivered in partnership with sector specialists. ZE-Gen brings partners together and engages with the public and private sector to identify new opportunities and provide commercialisation support such as investment readiness, market engagement, strategy & sales and product/service development.

To date, ZE-Gen has catalysed £39.75m, including support from the IKEA Foundation and the UK Government’s Ayrton Fund, and has supported more than 35 localised renewable energy projects across Nigeria, the Philippines, Cote d’Ivoire, Fiji, South Africa, Malawi and Uganda.

The Carbon Trust leads on ZE-Gen’s investments into financial mechanisms, research activities, outreach and strategy, with input and oversight across the whole ZE-Gen programme.

Innovate UK is responsible for delivering grant funding to advance renewable technology through the ZE-Gen Innovation Fund.

For more information please contact: ze-gen@carbontrust.com

Visit the ZE-Gen programme website – https://www.ze-gen.org

About CLASP

CLASP is the leading global authority on efficient appliances’ role in fighting climate change and improving people’s lives. An international NGO with 25 years of expertise and offices on five continents, CLASP collaborates with policymakers, industry leaders, and other experts to create a more sustainable future for people and the planet. CLASP is dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing, interconnected crises: the climate emergency, poverty, inequality, and access to energy.

About VeraSol

VeraSol maintains the world’s most widely recognized quality assurance framework for pico-solar products and solar home system kits. Managed by CLASP, VeraSol has expanded its services to meet the industry’s growing need for quality assurance in solar appliances and productive use equipment. VeraSol aims to make safe, affordable, and durable solar products the default choice in the market by providing testing, product data sharing, and other support services.

About the Global LEAP Awards

The Global LEAP Awards is an international competition that identifies and promotes the world’s best, most energy-efficient appliances for use in off-grid and weak-grid areas. Managed by CLASP through the Efficiency for Access coalition, it is designed to drive innovation, build market infrastructure, and accelerate the adoption of high-quality, energy-efficient appliances in developing countries. Nominations for the Global LEAP Solar Generator Competition open on 8 October. See the competition website for details on eligibility and timelines.

About the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) Platform

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 energy for poor households, enterprises, and social institutions in developing countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific.

About the Ayrton Fund

The Ayrton Fund is a UK Government commitment on clean energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D), supporting the clean energy transition in developing countries and part of the broader £11.6bn of International Climate Finance (ICF) committed by the UK between 2021 and 2026. The Fund is focused on key thematic challenges aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Action), including Zero Emissions Generators.

 

ZE-Gen 和 CLASP 携手推动离网太阳能发电机的质量和创新

伦敦，内罗毕，2025年9月9日——零排放发电机倡议组织（ZE-Gen）与CLASP今日宣布建立新的国际合作伙伴关系，旨在通过改善消费者的选择、提高产品的可负担性和可靠性，改变太阳能发电机市场。

此次合作旨在推动太阳能发电机领域的竞争，激发创新，重点关注撒哈拉以南非洲、南亚和太平洋岛屿地区的中低收入国家市场。通过推广更清洁的替代能源，该合作伙伴关系支持逐步淘汰污染严重的化石燃料发电机，并扩大可持续能源解决方案的覆盖范围。

ZE-Gen 和 CLASP 将在全球 LEAP 大奖赛下推出一项全新的国际太阳能发电机竞赛，设立 10 万美元的创新奖金，展示专为社区和中小企业设计的高性能高效太阳能发电机。获奖者和入围者将被刊登在一份专为提供产品性能信息买手指南中，以支持明智的购买决策。

全球 LEAP 大奖赛提名将于 2025 年 10 月 8 日开放。该竞赛将由 VeraSol 质量保证框架提供支持，该框架确保产品性能、安全性和可靠性的透明度，并包括制定严格的测试方法以及实验室和用户测试方案，以评估参赛作品并为太阳能行业建立更广泛的标准。

全球约有15亿人生活在电力供应不足、不稳定或无法获得电力的困境中。目前，正在使用中的化石燃料发电机超过8260万台，这不仅造成污染、温室气体排放、噪音和健康风险，还带来了难以预测的燃料成本。相比之下，现代太阳能发电机则提供了更清洁、更安静、更经济的替代方案。

历史上，化石燃料发电机凭借其可用性、前期成本和可靠性占据了市场主导地位。然而，现代高质量的太阳能发电机无需燃料，使其成为资源受限地区更可持续、更经济的解决方案。

ZE-Gen 负责人、Carbon Trust 的 Lily Beadle 表示：

“太阳能发电机市场正在迅速崛起，拥有巨大的商业潜力，并且比高污染的化石燃料发电机更可靠、更安全，能够提供更可靠的能源解决方案。我们与 CLASP 的新合作将开发一套全新的质量保证工作流程，以支持 ZE-Gen 更广泛的工作计划，并在客户转向可再生能源时为他们提供保障。”

CLASP 非洲高级总监 Emmanuel Aziebor 补充道：

在新兴经济体中，太阳能发电机将为无法获得可靠电力的个人和企业带来颠覆性变革。测试和展示创新、高效且用户友好的产品将支持 CLASP 和 ZE-Gen 的使命，即确保由可再生能源驱动的更清洁、更实惠的发电机成为各地社区的默认选择。”

此次新的合作是 ZE-Gen 和 CLASP 在英国政府“转型能源获取”(TEA) 平台下开展的更广泛工作的一部分，该平台是 Ayrton 基金的一部分。

ZE-Gen的背景信息

ZE-Gen 于 COP27 上启动，是一项领先的国际倡议，旨在通过推动使用可再生能源取代污染严重的化石燃料发电，改善撒哈拉以南非洲、南亚和太平洋岛屿地区人民的生活。

ZE-Gen 由 Carbon Trust 和 Innovate UK 联合发起，旨在筹集 1 亿英镑资金，以激励行动并实施现实世界的变革，并与行业专家合作实施。ZE-Gen 汇聚合作伙伴，并与公共和私营部门合作，以发现新机遇并提供商业化支持，例如投资准备、市场参与、战略与销售以及产品/服务开发。

迄今为止，ZE-Gen 已筹集 3975 万英镑的资金，其中包括来自宜家基金会和英国政府 Ayrton 基金的支持，并已在尼日利亚、菲律宾、科特迪瓦、斐济、南非、马拉维和乌干达支持了超过 35 个本地化可再生能源项目。

Carbon Trust 负责领导 ZE-Gen 在财务机制、研究活动、推广和战略方面的投资，并为整个 ZE-Gen 项目提供意见和监督。

英国创新局 (Innovate UK) 负责通过 ZE-Gen 创新基金提供赠款，以推动可再生能源技术的发展。

了解更多信息，请联系：ze-gen@carbontrust.com

浏览ZE-Gen 项目网站： https://www.ze-gen.org

 

关于 CLASP

CLASP 是全球研究高效电器在应对气候变化和改善人类生活方面作用的权威机构。CLASP 是一个拥有 25 年专业经验的国际非政府组织，在五大洲设有办事处，致力于与政策制定者、行业领袖和其他专家合作，为人类和地球创造更可持续的未来。CLASP 致力于解决世界上最紧迫且相互关联的危机，包括气候紧急情况、贫困、不平等和能源获取。

 

关于 VeraSol

VeraSol 维护着全球最广泛认可的微型太阳能产品和太阳能家用系统套件质量保证框架。在 CLASP 的管理下，VeraSol 不断扩展其服务，以满足行业对离网电器和生产性设备日益增长的质量保证需求。VeraSol 致力于通过提供测试、产品数据共享和其他支持服务，使安全、经济、耐用的离网产品成为市场的首选。

 

关于Global LEAP 大奖 

全球 LEAP 大奖是一项国际竞赛，旨在甄选并推广全球最优秀、最节能的离网和弱网地区家用电器。该奖项由 CLASP 通过“效率与可及性”联盟管理，旨在推动创新，建设市场基础设施，并加速发展中国家采用高质量、节能的家用电器。全球 LEAP 太阳能发电机竞赛提名将于 2025 年10 月 8 日开放。有关资格和时间表的详细信息，请访问竞赛网站。

 

关于Transforming Energy Access (TEA) 平台

TEA 是英国外交、联邦和发展办公室 (FCDO) 的旗舰研究和创新平台，支持创新技术和商业模式的早期测试和扩大规模，以加速撒哈拉以南非洲、南亚和印度-太平洋地区发展中国家贫困家庭、企业和社会机构获得可负担的清洁能源。

 

关于Ayrton Fund

艾尔顿基金是英国政府对清洁能源研究、开发和示范 (RD&D) 的承诺，支持发展中国家的清洁能源转型，该基金也是英国在 2021 年至 2026 年期间承诺的 116 亿英镑国际气候融资 (ICF) 的一部分。该基金专注于与可持续发展目标 7（可负担的清洁能源）和 13（气候行动）相关的关键挑战，包括零排放发电机。