The IDEA: Deliver Energy Access
(‘IDEA’) has announced 2020
RFP recipients for donations in Myanmar and Haiti,
as well as four new
strategic partners committed to donating equipment,
funding, and engineering expertise to high-impact
community energy projects each year through the global
IDEA platform. To date, SimpliPhi has
donated more than $1 million in energy storage
solutions to support renewable power projects,
installations, logistics, and direct financial support from
private donors to empower communities around the world.
“Access to clean and affordable energy is fundamental to
economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability -
and building our collective future globally,” said
Catherine Von Burg, CEO & President
of SimpliPhi Power. “Our 2020 recipient communities in
Myanmar and Haiti exemplify the IDEA initiative’s dedication to the
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (SDGs) -
reaching underserved communities to directly address the
major social, environmental, and economic equity issues
of our time.”
Since its founding over 10 years
ago, SimpliPhi Power has committed 1% of its annual
revenue to the IDEA. Combined with additional partner commitments
and working with a growing network of nonprofit, for-profit, and
local community leaders around the world, the IDEA focuses on
donating resilient energy solutions to empower
communities where access
to reliable electricity will have a significant
impact.
2020 IDEA Donation
Recipients
Each year, the IDEA initiative will release a
request for proposals (RFP) to solicit
potential high-impact
projects from communities that would
benefit substantially from access to reliable
energy. After rigorous vetting of project
submissions and interviews with developers, two renewable
energy projects were selected for 2020 donation
funding:
IDADEE Children's Home (Haiti) - The IDADEE is more than an
orphanage, it is a pillar of community life and a vital connection
to education, health, and medical resources in Cap-Haitien, Haiti.
Founded by young adults who grew up in an orphanage on the island,
IDADEE Children’s Home is a community development nonprofit
organization that supports the needs of more than 40 children and
members of the surrounding community. The IDEA donated
20 SimpliPhi 3.8 kWh batteries to pair with on-site solar
power and to replace and upgrade the facility's current toxic
lead-acid system, providing resilient clean energy for the
community and saving money on energy production every day. Project
partners include JustEnergy, Pittsburgh Kids Foundation, and
Brace For Impact!
“Our understanding is that the source of poverty comes from our
broken world: broken relationships with the environment, with each
other, with our creator, and even with ourselves,”
said JustEnergy’s Board of Directors upon being selected
for the IDEA. “When the conditions of poverty violate the inherent
dignity that all people have, an injustice has
occurred. Energy poverty is the lack of access to modern
energy services such as electricity. It is a hindrance to human
flourishing and dignity: one of the broken systems of our world
that we strive to change.”
Klo Yaw Lay Covid Response Center (Myanmar) - The Karen
community of southern Myanmar has a rich history and cultural
heritage and are currently struggling with the
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and political upheaval in their
country. The IDEA is partnering with the Karen Department of Health
& Welfare and Border Green Energy Team to install a
76-kilowatt-hour energy storage system to provide resilient power
for the community’s Covid facilities and resources. The Klo Yaw Lay
Covid Response Center comprises a 40-bed hospital facility, a
two-story laboratory that houses PCR-based Covid-19 testing
equipment, and a -20 C freezer for vaccine
storage.
In addition to the year-end RFP solicitation, the IDEA
initiative also provides rapid response donations throughout the
year to support communities with emergency relief needs
and those recovering from disasters. SimpliPhi and IDEA
partners Footprint Project and
Sol-Ark donated mobile renewable energy trailers equipped
with PHI batteries and solar panels to communities in Texas
impacted by winter storm Uri to provide emergency services,
communication and internet access for first
responders and residents during the extended
blackouts.
A Growing Global Movement
SimpliPhi’s invitation to join the IDEA is gaining traction
and inspiring other renewable energy project developers and
manufacturers to act. Four long-time partners have
formally committed to the IDEA’s mission to empower communities by
delivering access to resilient, sustainable energy. The IDEA
initiative is powered by energy companies, nonprofits, community
leaders, and private donors – working together to amplify each
other’s impact by combining resources. Each partner commits
funding, engineering expertise, equipment, and/or services to the
growing global movement.
The IDEA is excited to announce its newest
committed partners:
Twende Solar - Through the installation of renewable
energy systems, Twende Solar aims to eliminate poverty,
strengthen economies, protect ecosystems, and ultimately achieve a
more equitable society. Twende’s motto is ‘It takes a
village,’ and their dedicated focus on empowering
communities is a natural fit for expanding the reach and impact of
the IDEA initiative. With Twende’s collaboration, the
IDEA initiative will be able to help more communities each year and
continue to focus on building local resources, equity, and
prosperity. Learn more: www.TwendeSolar.org
“Twende Solar was formed by solar industry professionals to
accomplish exactly what the IDEA program sets out to do: to unite
the renewables industry around the energy needs of
under-resourced communities,” said Marissa Johnson, Executive
Director, Twende Solar. “Access to abundant, clean
energy is at the core of creating a more livable and just world
where everyone thrives and the only way to accomplish this is to
work together. We are proud to partner again with the IDEA
initiative to create brighter futures.”
New Sun Road - A California-based public benefit
corporation, New Sun Road is developing data-driven IoT technology
solutions for solar-based power systems that reduce operating costs
and increase control and visibility. Their mission is to accelerate
energy and internet access for under-served communities around the
world, in collaboration with industry, government, nonprofit and
academic partners. Their technical expertise and funding commitment
to the IDEA bring invaluable resources to the ecosystem. Learn
more: www.NewSunRoad.com
Footprint Project – Committed to breaking the negative
feedback loop of fossil fuels, Footprint Project's mission is
to help #BuildBackGreener after disasters by providing clean energy
and resilient energy storage to communities in
crisis. Footprint’s commitment to the IDEA helps to
deploy clean technologies alongside emergency
responders for immediate lifesaving efforts,
displacing the need for polluting diesel
generators and supporting long-term, resilient
recovery. Learn
More: www.footprintproject.org
Sol-Ark – With their industry-leading
all-in-one inverter charge controllers, Sol-Ark believes in
easy, affordable solar for everyone. Sol-Ark is an engineering and
manufacturing company based in Parker, TX that provides turnkey
design solutions and fanatical engineering support for customers
and partners globally. Sol-Ark is a reliable IDEA partner that is
committed to donating balance of system equipment and technical
expertise to the initiative each year. Learn
more: www.Sol-Ark.com
“We are humbled and grateful for the support of our new IDEA
partners – our growing initiative is stronger and more capable for
their commitments,” said Catherine Von Burg. “Nearly 1
billion people globally lack access to reliable, safe power and the
critical social, economic, and environmental benefits
electricity can bring. Through the IDEA, we are working to
transform communities in need, and each new partner brings us
closer to achieving our vision of universal access to safe,
reliable, and affordable energy for everyone.”
About SimpliPhi Power
With a mission to create universal access to safe, reliable, and
affordable energy, SimpliPhi Power designs and
manufactures efficient, non-toxic, and enduring energy storage and
management systems that utilize environmentally benign lithium
ferro phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry. Based in Oxnard,
California, SimpliPhi combines the non-hazardous LFP
energy storage chemistry with its proprietary cell and battery
architecture, power electronics, Battery Management System (BMS)
and manufacturing processes to create safe, reliable, durable, and
highly scalable on-demand power solutions for residential,
commercial, industrial, and government sectors.
For more information,
visit www.SimpliPhiPower.com
Matt Roberts
SimpliPhi Power
(805) 640-6700 ext. 418
MatthewR@SimpliPhiPower.com