In April 2023, the Faraday Institution was selected to lead the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage (ACES) funded by the UK Government’s £1 billion Ayrton Fund.
ACES utilises British expertise and partnerships to advance energy storage technology for emerging economies. Currently, 685 million people globally lack reliable electricity access. Energy storage is crucial for enhancing supply reliability, reducing emissions, and meeting climate targets.
As part of ACES, the Faraday Institution heads a research programme to December 2026. It aims to expand energy access, reduce emissions, and support energy transitions in emerging economies by developing lower cost improved energy storage solutions that enable cleaner transport, renewables integration and distributed energy access.
The £5 million R&D programme is part of a broader co-ordinated ACES package of at least £25 million across a range of partners for skills development, technology accelerators, and market building activities. These partners include the Shell Foundation, Acumen, the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), and Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst, as well as a range of academic and industry leaders. Innovations will reduce the cost and improve the performance of energy storage systems for static off- and weak-grid, and e-mobility solutions in target countries.
The Ayrton Fund aims to accelerate the clean energy transition in developing countries by creating innovative clean energy technologies and business models, supporting the Sustainable Development Goals, and especially progress on Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7) and Climate Action (SDG13).
ACES builds on the UK’s existing partnership with the wider global movement for energy access, through the extensive networks of the FCDO’s Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, which supports early-stage testing and scale up of innovative technologies and business models that will accelerate access to affordable, clean energy-based services to poor households and enterprises, especially in Africa.
Supporting the development of battery energy storage systems (BESS) solutions through strategic research partnerships
Working with, for example, the World Bank, the Global Battery Alliance, Manufacturing Africa and organisations in the target regions, research is being commissioned to provide insights into the environmental, political, financial and social contexts for any BESS technological interventions. This is supporting their applicability and inform activities and partnerships across the Ayrton Fund portfolio and beyond.
Examples of outputs of this workstream include:
Battery Storage in Developing Countries: A Study to inform the direction of the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage
In the spring of 2023, the Faraday Institution disseminated an evidence-based study on the market, policy, and regulatory landscape for battery energy storage technologies within emerging economies to ACES partners.
The report covers a technology review of the potential for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries in both stationary and portable energy storage applications and e-mobility use-cases, covering potential market opportunities such as battery rental and swapping, and use of second life batteries. It considers the safety and durability of technologies in the context of environmental and climate-related challenges in target regions as well as for potential use in provision of energy in emergency response situations.
Download report.
From Minerals to Manufacturing: Africa’s Competitiveness in Global Battery Supply Chains
In November 2024, a joint study with Manufacturing Africa revealed cost-competitive investment opportunities in the battery supply chain in Africa.
Key findings indicate that, with the right investment and policy environment, refining locally extracted lithium, nickel, manganese and copper in Africa could be up to 40% more competitive than the rest of the world by 2030. Beyond mineral refining, initial analysis suggests that countries like Tanzania and Morocco could produce batteries that are cost-competitive with Europe under certain conditions.
The study was launched by UK Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon. David Lammy MP, at an event in Lagos, Nigeria, November 2024.
The report also: estimates battery demand in Africa; identifies additional opportunities in battery packs and in battery assembly and recycling; maps where companies are operating in battery value chains across Africa; provides recommendations for policymakers and investors on how to advance these initiatives. It contains a wealth of information and analysis of value to a variety of stakeholders including potential investors in projects in other parts of the battery value chain beyond mining.
Download report. Download news release. Download article.
Market and Technology Assessment of Flow Batteries for Developing Economies
Flow batteries are a form of long duration energy storage; a set of technologies with potential performance benefits that could be crucial for the provision of reliable zero-emission electricity from variable renewable energy sources. They represent a small and relatively immature market with enormous growth potential in many developing economies – for deployment and manufacturing.
The report is targeted at:
- in-country owners, operators and developers of power systems looking to expand solar and wind energy on less reliable grids;
- owners of mining operations, large industrial facilities and data centres that require reliable power;
- energy storage professionals who are considering alternatives to lead-acid and lithium-ion, but are unsure of the different technologies available;
- battery manufacturers and raw material producers who are considering developing their own local battery products but are unsure of the material flows and potential for local supply chains.
Download report. Watch the webinar
This report was funded by the UK government via the Ayrton Fund. The report supports the delivery of the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage.
Provide BESS domain expertise and lead the ACES Strategic Leadership Group (SLG)
Supported by the Carbon Trust, the Faraday Institution is convening partners engaged across the Ayrton Fund portfolio whose work is aligned with and directly contributing towards researching, developing and using energy storage technology solutions. The forum aims to facilitate coordination and collaboration, with initiatives to include the joint commissioning of studies and research, and organisation of joint dissemination events. The SLG currently includes members from: University of Oxford, World Bank, Shell Foundation, Acumen, InnovateUK, and Carbon Trust.
Capability Building
To enable knowledge transfer, enhance education and skills, and support successful technology deployment, capability building initiatives are being delivered across target regions. Battery Ambassador, Hilton Chingosho, University of Zimbabwe is leading an initiative to build a Battery Network. The aim is to overcome fragmentation in battery activities across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by fostering a cohesive battery community through webinars from subject experts on a range of topics. By September 2025, seven Battery Network webinars have been hosted, attracting more than 1,100 participants from a total of 50 counties.
The TEA Learning Partnership has been pivotal in publicising these events.
Check out the webinars.
