The clean energy transition is our chance to build a fairer future, yet women are still missing from the table. Around the world, only 15% of clean energy leadership roles are held by women.

Even in Thailand, a leader in the Asia Pacific region when it comes to women’s leadership in the energy sector, women occupy just 23% of leadership positions.

But when women are at the helm, the impact speaks for itself.

Salinee Hurley. Photo from SunSawang

Salinee Hurley is proof that inclusive leadership powers inclusive solutions. A mechanical engineer specializing in solar, she founded SunSawang: a social enterprise bringing solar home systems and lanterns to off-grid villages along the Thailand–Myanmar border. She is also the Project Director at the Border Green Energy Team (BGET), an organization advancing clean energy access in the region.

Salinee’s journey into solar began when she pursued further studies in solar engineering in the United States. Returning to Thailand, she initially implemented solar projects through an NGO model, using grant funding to provide free installations in remote areas. Over time, she realized the approach lacked long-term sustainability.

To address this, Salinee transitioned to a social enterprise model, offering long-term payment plans that support both ongoing maintenance and local ownership.

“Free installations may help in the short term, but the real goal is to empower people to access energy independently in the long run,” she said.

Solar installation at Maw Poe Kay High School. Photo from SunSawang

SunSawang now trains and hires local technicians and sales agents to serve their own communities. This localized model not only keeps systems functioning, but also supports economic activity—access to reliable electricity allows for evening work like weaving, increasing household income.

Salinee’s work also highlights the systemic barriers that persist in Thailand’s solar landscape: high upfront costs, inconsistent regional regulations, and limited financing options for low-income households. Recent steps, including draft laws to simplify rooftop solar permitting and new green loan products, are promising, but access remains uneven.

Last year, she joined New Energy Nexus Thailand’s SolarSTEP initiative, where she shared her expertise and connected with other women leading the shift to a cleaner energy future.

Solar installation at Maw Poe Kay High School. Photo from SunSawang

Supporting women leading the way

SolarSTEP is designed to build skills and leadership among solar technicians and entrepreneurs, with a focus on women, to help accelerate Thailand’s clean energy transition.

This work is spurred on by Thailand’s ambitious target to reach 12,139 MW of solar capacity by 2037, as outlined in its Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP). Hitting this target will take more than policy; it requires investing in people, empowering women, and expanding access to rooftop solar across the country.

This is where SolarSTEP comes in. The program has already delivered seven trainings across Thailand’s Central, Northern, and Southern regions, reaching over 200 participants. These efforts have been strengthened through collaboration with key partners, including PEA Encom Smart Solution, PEA Encom International, and LONGi.

Photo of the SolarSTEP 2024 Training program participants, including Salinee Hurley.

Looking ahead, we’re focused on scaling impact, broadening solar access, and building a sector that mirrors the diversity of the communities it serves.

If we want a just and resilient clean energy future, we need to break down the barriers that keep women on the sidelines and back those already leading the way. Empowering more women to participate and lead in clean energy isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing to do.

Want to be part of building an inclusive clean energy sector in Thailand? Learn more about our work here.

Australia is charging ahead in the race to build a battery-powered world—and the timing couldn’t be better.

The nation’s growing role in the global battery supply chain took center stage at our recent webinar, Australia’s Time to Charge: Powering the Battery Future. The hour-long session, part of our Just Batteries initiative, explored how battery innovation, mass EV retrofitting, and smart policy could transform Australia into a clean energy powerhouse.

These industry experts led the discussion, held virtually on June 19, 2025:

• Kirk McDonald, Project Manager- Supercharge Australia, New Energy Nexus
• Andrew Chang, Chief Growth Officer, New Energy Nexus
• Kyle Van Berendonck, Founder, Veepower
• Derick Gyabeng, Program Lead – Supercharge Australia, EnergyLab

Why this conversation matters

The battery supply chain is the backbone of the energy transition, and Australia’s unique mix of critical minerals, renewable energy resources, supportive policies, and skilled workforce positions it to lead the way.

This is what we’re backing through Supercharge Australia, a collaboration between New Energy Nexus and EnergyLab. The program aims to support 150+ local startups, empowering them with mentorship, funding pathways, and global connections to expand Australia’s lithium battery value chain.

6 key insights from the webinar

1. Australia’s global opportunity is now

Australia is well-positioned to become a significant player in the battery-powered electrical transformation. Here’s why:

There are signals from state and federal governments that they want to move away from a fossil fuel-based export economy, such as:

• Signing an agreement with 40 other countries at COP28 to phase out offshore support for coal, oil, and gas projects;
• Passing the Future Made in Australia policy, which committed AU$22.7 billion over 10 years to build domestic capacity in green hydrogen, solar panel manufacturing, critical minerals processing, green metals, low‑carbon liquid fuels, and clean-energy manufacturing;
• Australia could be a leader in homegrown battery manufacturing, and critical minerals refining and processing; and,
• It’s building on a “globally competitive” battery export industry. Queensland alone is investing hundreds of millions into a sector that it believes will be worth US$1.3 billion by 2030, and can create up to 9,100 green jobs.

2. Mass EV retrofits could boost battery demand 20-fold

Retrofitting existing vehicles—especially commercial fleets—is a faster, cheaper, and lower-carbon way to scale EV adoption. Our second Supercharge Australia Innovation Challenge spotlighted 12 startups electrifying everything from mining trucks to boats.

The current projection of a 65GWh demand for stationary storage by 2030 could be massively higher with mass EV retrofits. Multiplying Australia’s vehicles by their estimated battery capacity, turning half of Australia’s vehicle fleet into EVs could multiply local battery demand 20-fold to over 1.3TWh, enough to justify domestic cell production and build a full onshore value chain (more here).

3. Startups like Veepower are leading the way

Kyle Van Berendonck, founder of Veepower and Retrofit Nation challenge winner, introduced Veepilot: a drop-in EV brain that lets large garages and re-manufacturers, through to individual garages, convert vehicles to electric with professional and supportable software — a key concern of retrofit solutions.

After a tour of California’s thriving clean energy ecosystem with New Energy Nexus, Veepower is now raising AU$500K from climate-focused investors to scale in Australia.

4. Smart policy can unlock big impact

The discussion emphasized the need for policies to support battery retrofits, including:

• Support the emerging startup practitioners with ambitious non-dilutive government grant funding
• Launch an AU$100–200M finance facility for training to upskill workers and kit production for vehicle upgrade
• Establish mass EV retrofit precincts, particularly in regional Australia
• Prioritize public fleet conversions to seed early demand

These interventions could support thousands of upskilled ICE workers (such as mechanics and automotive electricians) and create a more circular, cost-effective battery and transportation economy.

5. Startup support is critical

Through tailored workshops, mentorship, and investor-readiness training, the Supercharge Australia Incubator aims to help founders bridge key gaps in prototyping, lab access, and commercialization. As Kirk McDonald and EnergyLab project lead Derick Gyabeng said in the webinar, early-stage startups need consistent, generous support to grow from an idea to an investment-ready solution.

Moreover, Supercharge Australia is leading a push to bring learnings from California’s best practice startup testing program, CalTestBed, to Australia. As part of the CalSEED-CalTestBed pair offering US$1M in non-matching and non-dilutive support to founders, startups can receive vouchers up to US$300K in value to use at the University of California and National Labs testing facilities across the state.

CalTestBed has supported over 150 startups with $45M in vouchers, with over 40% being received by women and under-represented founders.

6. Australia’s Leadership Can Power the Region

The country’s battery innovation doesn’t stop at its borders. With Southeast Asia on the path to rapid electrification, Australia’s EV retrofitting industry can serve a region set to reach 770 million people by 2050.

Supporting Australia’s battery supply chain at this stage could play a huge role in the region’s clean energy transition.

Why ‘Just Batteries’

Batteries are the linchpin of the clean energy transition. But how we build this industry matters as much as how fast we scale it.

At New Energy Nexus, we believe battery innovation must be just, inclusive, and community-led. Today, the battery supply chain is dominated by a few countries and companies, with little accountability to communities, workers, or the environment. Battery recycling and reuse are underinvested solutions. And left unchecked, the race for minerals and manufacturing could replicate the injustices of the fossil fuel era.

This is what our Just Batteries initiative addresses. We have supported 116 startups across the battery value chain—from extraction to recycling—while shaping an innovation ecosystem rooted in equity, access, and sustainability.

Our work spans the full ecosystem, from startup accelerators and testbeds to international market access, because building a clean energy future means backing entrepreneurs at every stage.

Join us, invest in these startups, and let’s supercharge the transition in Australia and beyond. Check out how you can support this initiative and more here.

By Julius Mujuni, Country Director – New Energy Nexus Uganda

I recently had the privilege of engaging with Otto Scharmer, a global thought leader in systems change. His call to adopt a systems thinking approach was a timely reminder of the complex and interconnected nature of energy access in Africa—and a rallying call to those of us working to address it.

For decades, a persistent and troubling figure has hovered over the sector: over 600 million people across Africa still live without access to electricity. We’ve seen incredible innovation—yet the challenge remains immense and deeply systemic.

Decades of innovation are laying the foundation

At New Energy Nexus Uganda, we have worked hard to meet this challenge. Over the past decade, models like Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) have enabled households to access solar technologies for the first time, especially in off-grid rural communities.

In rural Masindi District of Western Uganda, where access to electricity is very limited, a woman holds a solar panel that lights her home.

We’ve seen the catalytic role of micro finance institutions, helping families overcome high upfront costs. And through our own Results-Based Financing (RBF) program, we’ve delivered targeted support to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs)—trusted local actors uniquely positioned to drive last-mile distribution.

This approach is working:

• In 2023 alone, 19,200 people were connected with clean energy products and 1,117 green jobs were created.
• We’ve supported 654 entrepreneurs, 33% of whom are women.
• We partnered with over 200 CBOs and VSLAs, expanding access to solar lighting, clean cookstoves, water filters, and briquettes​.

Why a systems lens matters

Otto’s insight reminded me that energy access isn’t an isolated issue—it’s intimately tied to income, resilience, and opportunity. Even when the grid reaches rural areas, low-income families often can’t afford electricity or use it productively.

So what if we centered productive use of energy—clean energy that directly powers livelihoods? What if access to Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PUE) technologies is the answer to low income earners getting sustainable access to other off-grid energy products? What if access to PUE technologies enables increased access to health services and other health related products?

The PURE program: Energy for income and impact

That’s what we’re testing through our PURE (Productive Use of Renewable Energy) initiative. This program is designed to empower rural entrepreneurs and farmers with income-generating, solar-powered assets like irrigation systems to increase agricultural output, milling machines to process produce locally, and other small-scale tools that can boost productivity.

We believe this approach can create a self-reinforcing cycle: energy drives income, income drives further adoption of other off-grid technologies up the energy ladder, and communities become more economically and environmentally resilient.

Asiazu Farmers’ Group in the West Nile region of Uganda receiving their solar-powered irrigation kit.

Community success stories: What’s already working

Take Utopia, a faith-based organization in western Uganda. With support from New Energy Nexus, they’ve:

• Brought clean energy products to over 9,800 people
• Launched an eco-tourism hub that distributes clean energy to surrounding communities​

Or look at KISE (Kitara Community Seed for Transformation) in Hoima, which has delivered clean tech to over 1,000 households and helped families redirect energy savings toward education and health​.

These are not just stories of technology distribution. They are case studies in systems change—where energy is an enabler, not the end goal.

This solar lamp is her only source of light at night, in her home in rural Uganda.

A call to donors and funders: Help us go further

We know that unlocking Uganda’s clean energy future requires more than hardware. It requires patient, flexible capital, support for local leadership, and the willingness to fund models that may look different—but deliver a deeper, longer-term impact that leads to the growth of rural economies to tackle poverty, job creation, and inequality.

As we continue to gather evidence from our PURE pilots and deepen our partnerships with community led groups like CBOs and farmer groups, we invite funders and partners to join us in this journey. A journey that will enable us to create a business case for farmer groups and other entrepreneurs in off-grid communities to thrive and prosper as a result of running sustainable enterprises that use energy productively.

Let’s build an energy system that not only connects wires—but connects people to opportunity. Let’s go beyond access—toward income, equity, and resilience.

Learn more about New Energy Nexus Uganda.

The clean energy transition isn’t just happening in labs or boardrooms—it’s also being built on university campuses across the Philippines. At the heart of this movement are Technology Business Incubators (TBIs), which help entrepreneurs turn bold ideas into real-world solutions.

That’s why New Energy Nexus Philippines, together with UMWAD Consortium, DOST Region 6, Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT U), and Innovate Iloilo, recently hosted an Energy Incubation Program Training for university TBIs in Region 6. This hands-on training brought together 11 universities and institutions* from across the Visayas to build the skills, partnerships, and strategies needed to launch the next generation of climate-tech and clean energy startups.

Here’s what we learned—and why it matters.

1. 🚀 Energy innovation needs a boost from campus to market
From solar-powered aquaculture to digital energy audits, university teams in the Visayas are brimming with ideas. But many clean energy startups still struggle with business models and go-to-market strategies. TBIs are stepping up to fill this gap—but they need more support to guide founders from research to revenue.

2. 🔍 Manual energy audits are holding back progress
Several universities highlighted how energy auditing is still done manually—a time-consuming and inefficient process. Digitizing these audits presents a major opportunity for startups and researchers to develop tech-based solutions that can scale across the region.

3. 📚 Clean energy is sparking curiosity in classrooms
Interest in energy innovation is growing among students and faculty alike. At schools like the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology, clean energy topics—from IoT to smart grids—are becoming central to research and student projects. That’s a strong sign of a rising talent pipeline.

4. 🏛️ Stronger university integration = stronger incubation
To thrive, TBIs need to be embedded into the fabric of the university—not siloed from students, researchers, or decision-makers. Active outreach and curriculum alignment can help make energy entrepreneurship a core part of the academic journey.

5. 🤝 Co-incubation is the way forward
NEX Philippines is inviting TBIs to co-incubate energy startups with us—combining resources, networks, and expertise. It’s a powerful model for supporting startups that are tackling the region’s biggest energy challenges. (This reflects NEX’s global strategy of ecosystem collaboration.)

6. 💸 Funding and experts are make-or-break for TBIs
TBIs need more than just enthusiasm. Sustained operations require access to technical experts, funding sources, and proven business models. Without this, even the most promising ideas risk stalling out before they leave the lab.

7. 🎓 Energy entrepreneurship needs to be taught
TBIs are exploring how to integrate clean energy into research, extension programs, and classroom instruction. Building climate-tech capacity isn’t just about startup competitions—it’s about transforming the entire education system to prepare innovators for the real world.

Mervin Perez of Technological University of the Philippines – Visayas HIVE TBI, presenting their startup incubation plan.

What’s Next for Region 6?

This training is just the beginning. NEX Philippines is already planning:

• Follow-up workshops on energy trends, startup mentorship, and sustainable business modeling
• Demo days and showcases to spotlight regional clean energy innovations
• Curriculum development aligned with energy entrepreneurship
• Ecosystem-building efforts that connect universities with funders, government, and private sector partners

Behind every climate-tech startup is an ecosystem that helped make it happen. And as this training showed, Region 6 is full of institutions ready to lead.

NEX Philippines is proud to support this momentum—and we’re just getting started. Find out more about our work in the Philippines!

The workshop brought together 11 TBIs and institutions across the region:

West Visayas State University BINHI TBI | University of the Philippines – Visayas Seeds TBI | Iloilo Science and Technology University KWADRA TBI | Technological University of the Philippines – Visayas HIVE | Northern Iloilo State University QUINTO | Capiz State University CAPSULE Agri-Aqua TBI | Central Philippines University CPUGAD TBI | Guimaras State University ISLA TBI | University of Antique | Coastline 5023: DOST – UP Visayas Fisheries TBI | Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology DIKE

A report from the International Energy Agency found that 35 percent of emissions reductions needed to reach net zero depend on technology that has yet to be commercialized. That’s why supporting early-stage clean energy innovators is critical to the energy transition and reducing emissions. California’s clean energy transition depends on better energy storage; some of the most exciting breakthroughs are happening now. The latest CalSEED Prototype Award winners are tackling big questions about battery lifespan, recyclability, and how we store power more efficiently and sustainably. From next-gen potassium-ion batteries to innovative battery recycling techniques, these startups are reshaping energy storage. Let’s look at five game-changing solutions in battery storage:

1. ExPost Technology: Giving Batteries a Second Life

We rely on lithium-ion batteries for everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, but what happens when they reach the end of their life? ExPost Technology is rethinking battery recycling—a process that extracts valuable materials without fully breaking down components.. This means less waste, fewer new materials needed, and a stronger circular economy for batteries—something we’ll need as energy storage demand skyrockets. Using Purification and Regeneration Integrated Materials Engineering (PRIME), ExPost recovers pristine quality battery components from battery scraps and end-of-life batteries. With its prominent economic, efficient, and eco-friendly process, this scalable method has the potential to reshape the battery recycling industry.

Photo from ExPost Technology

2. Project K Energy:Making Lithium-Free Batteries a Reality

Lithium has long been the go-to material for batteries, but it’s expensive and difficult to source sustainably. Project K Energy is developing potassium-ion batteries—a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative for large-scale energy storage. Since potassium is much more abundant than lithium, this technology has the potential to cut costs and make clean energy storage more accessible. Project K’s innovation lies in optimizing potassium-based cathode, anode, and electrolyte components with fundamentally different properties than their lithium-ion counterparts. The potential benefits of these potassium-ion batteries include faster charging, lower costs (and less price volatility), better performance at low temperatures, and improved safety.

3. Activated Energy: A Safer, More Sustainable Way to Store Power

Battery safety is a huge concern, especially when dealing with flammable or toxic materials. Activated Energy is reimagining energy storage—making it safer, sustainable, and even carbon-negative. Their innovative solid-state system stores energy by compressing carbon dioxide using eco-friendly materials, creating a compact solution that’s both scalable and long-lasting. Activated Energy’s product builds on compressed air energy storage (CAES) and CO2 energy storage combined with innovative solid-state sorption technology. It has reduced costs and sourcing concerns, as well as increased stability over lithium technologies. In addition to being non-toxic and nonflammable, the proprietary low-pressure storage technology reduces the footprint of the storage system, making it more suitable for congested urban environments than competing large-footprint gas-based storage systems, which require land resources most likely unavailable in urban areas. This long-duration energy storage system improves grid resilience for urban communities, reduces strain on electrical transmission lines, is non-flammable, and enables greater renewable energy adoption.

4. Sperra: Storing Energy Beneath the Ocean

One of the biggest challenges with renewable energy is ensuring we can store power when it is needed most. Sperra has a fascinating solution: Marine Pumped Hydroelectric (MPH) Storage. They’re designing 3D-printed concrete spheres on the ocean floor that store and release energy in sync with offshore wind farms. Unlike traditional energy storage, this system could last decades without losing efficiency. This approach bypasses the land use and permitting challenges that often limit pumped hydro projects. It can be deployed along coastlines or paired directly with offshore wind farms to boost efficiency and lower costs. With innovations like their patented multi-sphere “pod” design, automated 3D-printed manufacturing, and shared infrastructure with other ocean energy projects, Sperra is creating a new, cost-effective path for long-duration energy storage beneath the waves.

Sperra’s SPSH systems are designed to be manufactured in 2 MW to 5 MW modules in US ports using locally available materials and labor. Photo from Sperra

5. Aepnus Technology: Cleaning Up Battery Manufacturing

It’s not just about how long batteries last—how they’re made also matters. Aepnus Technology is working on a cleaner, more cost-effective way to produce lithium salts and other battery materials. By making the production process more sustainable, they’re helping reduce the overall carbon footprint of energy storage systems from the start. Aepnus Technology’s innovation uses electricity instead of fossil fuel-based chemicals, reducing waste disposal costs and mitigating carbon emissions, especially when powered by renewable energy. By integrating the system on-site, manufacturers can cut waste disposal costs and achieve up to 35% savings on chemical expenditures. This solution enhances the sustainability and circularity of the battery industry while addressing critical chemical management challenges and contributing to the decarbonization of emissions-heavy chemical manufacturing processes. Aepnus’s ultra-efficient electrolyzers run on renewable energy to process essential materials like lithium salts and other reagents. They are advancing a novel electrolysis platform that recycles sodium sulfate—a common chemical waste in the battery supply chain—into valuable reagents (sulfuric acid and caustic soda), essential for refining battery metals and manufacturing cathode active materials.

Where Energy Storage Is Headed 

The energy storage industry is evolving fast, and these companies are leading the charge toward longer-lasting, more sustainable solutions. Whether it’s recycling old batteries, developing new materials, or rethinking how we store power, these innovations will be critical in the clean energy transition. A future energy system won’t just rely on making better batteries—it’ll depend on keeping valuable materials in use through smart recycling and circular design. With continued investment and support, we’re looking at a future where energy storage isn’t just an afterthought—it’s a key pillar of a cleaner, more resilient, and circular power system. If these startups are any indication, the best is yet to come.