Published: 14 July 2025
As part of the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage (ACES) — a UK international development initiative supporting the clean energy transition — the Faraday Institution has launched five collaborative projects to deliver working demonstrators of battery systems across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific region.
These projects will refine, validate, and optimise battery technologies for real-world conditions in these regions, moving them closer to commercial deployment. Together, they represent a £1.64 million investment and involve UK universities working alongside industry and international partners from five countries.
“Expanding e-mobility and decarbonising energy in areas with limited connectivity is a complex challenge,” said Professor Martin Freer, CEO of the Faraday Institution. “By collaborating with partners, we’re helping bring reliable clean energy to communities — with the power to transform lives and livelihoods.”
Why this matters
Today, around 685 million people worldwide still lack reliable electricity. Affordable and efficient energy storage is critical for improving supply, reducing emissions, and accelerating climate action in emerging economies. The ACES research programme supports this goal by developing lower-cost solutions to enable cleaner transport and distributed energy.
Meet the five new projects
1.NaSEMA – Na-ion Batteries for Sustainable Energy and Mobility in Africa
Led by the University of Sheffield with MOPO, this project will assess the costs and benefits of commercial sodium-ion cells in 1kWh MOPO Max pay-per-use rental battery packs deployed in Liberia.
2.SL2FBat – Sustainable Low-cost Soluble Lead Flow Battery
University of Southampton, working with SOLead Energy, Gham Power, and Swanbarton, will install and test soluble lead flow batteries in Nepal, with further optimisation and smart grid integration.
3.UniBatt – Accelerating e-mobility in Kenya and Rwanda
University of Oxford and Bboxx will integrate Oxford’s state-of-health diagnostics into Bboxx’s Pulse software for fleet monitoring. They’ll also develop and test an interoperable battery pack usable across different e-mobility platforms.
4.THAI-BATT – Thermal and Humidity Adaptive Battery Solutions for Thailand
Imperial College London, NV Gotion, and Chulalongkorn University will design batteries optimised for high heat and humidity. The team will also create low-energy cooling strategies and prototype builds to validate these designs.
5.StamiNa – Sustainable Transport and Affordable Mobility through Innovation in Na-ion
Swansea University, working with Coventry University, Batri, Strathmore University (Kenya), AceOn Group, and Nigeria’s Federal University of Technology Owerri, will refine Prussian White cathode / coal-derived hard carbon anode sodium-ion cells and integrate them into AceOn battery packs for demonstration in e-bikes at Strathmore University.
About ACES and the Ayrton Fund
The projects are part of the second phase of ACES, funded through the Ayrton Fund — a UK Government commitment to invest up to £1 billion from 2021–2026 in research, development, and demonstration of clean energy solutions for developing countries.
The £5 million ACES R&D programme contributes to a broader coordinated effort of at least £25 million in skills development, technology accelerators, and market-building initiatives. Partners include the Shell Foundation, Acumen, World Bank’s ESMAP, UCL, and Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst, alongside industry and academic leaders.
By reducing costs and boosting performance, these innovations aim to bring reliable energy access and cleaner transport to communities that need it most.
