Our people
Sustainable development goals
About our data
Electricity
Shell Foundation
Shell Foundation is an independent charity that applies business thinking to the global development challenges of access to energy and transport services.
Shell Foundation provides business support, grants and market connections to help pioneering social entrepreneurs prove new business models in low-income communities. The charity selects partners with the potential to benefit 10 million people within a 10-year time frame, achieve financial independence and spur international replication.
Since 2000, Shell Foundation has deployed $310 million in grants to early-stage businesses and new market builders operating in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Shell Foundation has long-term strategic partnerships with UK and US international development agencies to incubate new ideas, demonstrate the viability of market-based solutions and support the growth of new inclusive markets.
In 2018, the charity continued to support BBOXX, a UK company that designs, manufactures, distributes and finances solar energy systems to improve access to energy across the developing world. After a successful pilot in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the world’s least electrified countries, BBOXX signed a contract with the government to supply 2.5 million people with electricity by 2020. Currently, 77% of the country’s 62 million people are not connected to the grid. Read more at www.shellfoundation.org/learning/the-drc-the-best-payg-solar-market-in-the-world.
Shell Foundation has supported Aceleron, a start-up that aims to give used batteries a second life, by connecting the company with off-grid energy product providers in Kenya. The success of the pilot in Kenya has seen orders received for 2,000 additional battery packs. Aceleron continued to expand in developing regions during 2018. Read more about Aceleron in Shell’s Inside Energy story at www.shell.com/aceleron.
In Varanasi, India, Shell Foundation supported social venture company SMV Green Solutions to supply a range of e-rickshaws that provide safe, clean and affordable mobility to commuters and help drivers improve their business, health and lifestyle in four cities in northern India. The 2018 cohort of drivers included 32 women, who were provided with training and asset finance to help them establish their businesses.
Read more about the impact of Shell Foundation at www.shellfoundation.org/impact.