- The UK has extended the Ayrton Fund to 2030 and committed an additional £88 million to expand its Transforming Energy Access platform.
- The programme has already improved clean energy access for 46 million people and mobilised £3 billion in public and private investment.
The United Kingdom has extended its Ayrton Fund to 2030 and committed an additional £88 million to expand its flagship Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, strengthening efforts to improve clean energy access and accelerate low-carbon development worldwide.
The UK announced the funding on Monday, June 22, 2026, at the opening of London Climate Action Week alongside the launch of its fourth International Climate Finance (ICF) strategy.
According to a statement from the Ayrton Forum, the new phase of the programme will deepen international partnerships while supporting innovation, job creation and economic resilience in the United Kingdom and developing countries.
The UK launched the Ayrton Fund in 2021 to coordinate clean energy research, development and demonstration programmes across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The fund currently supports clean energy projects in more than 100 countries across Africa, Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.
Programme data show that the initiative has improved access to clean energy for 46 million people, mobilised £3 billion in additional public and private investment, reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 14 million tonnes and created more than 256,000 green jobs globally.
Speaking at the forum, John Edmunds, Chief Scientific Adviser at the FCDO, emphasised the critical role of energy in achieving development, security and climate objectives.
He said sustainable development requires a combination of innovation and investment capable of unlocking inclusive and resilient financing systems. “Ayrton exemplifies this-the UK working as an international partner, moving ideas from research into real-world impact by bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, governments, investors and multilateral institutions,” Edmunds said.
He added that energy remains central to addressing global challenges related to security, development, climate action and social equality.
The UK government noted that more than 300 leaders from business, finance, government, academia and civil society are participating in the Ayrton Forum to explore pathways for accelerating clean energy transitions and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Officials also reported that the programme has benefited more than 300 UK-based organisations and supported over 1,000 jobs within the country. The fund has backed a range of innovations, including solar-powered irrigation systems, zero-emission generators, sustainable cold-chain solutions, smart grids, green fertilisers and advanced energy storage technologies.
The additional £88 million investment in the Transforming Energy Access platform will support the testing, deployment and scaling of clean energy technologies and business models across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
The programme will also help develop local skills and workforce capacity needed to deliver a just and inclusive energy transition in participating countries.