15 September 2025, London and Nairobi: 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.
Notes for editors
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 the 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 – 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 off-grid appliances and productive use equipment. VeraSol aims to make safe, affordable, and durable off-grid 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.