The PowerOneForOne Foundation is broadening the scope of its international aid work. Having supplied solar power to schools, children’s villages and medical facilities in remote regions around the world for many years, the foundation – established by the aream Group – is now turning its attention to a new priority: battery storage.

On the one hand, this serves to ensure the continuity of the aid provided so far; on the other, it also reflects a trend across the entire renewable energy sector. In many countries, access to electricity is generally available – but it is often unreliable. Voltage fluctuations and power cuts pose a particular threat to educational institutions and health centres. This is precisely where storage systems come in: they ensure that energy is available when it is really needed.

“Our aim is not simply to build solar installations”, says Janine Voigt, Managing Director of the PowerOneForOne Foundation. “Our focus is on enabling people to enjoy better living conditions in the long term. And today, this increasingly means storing existing energy intelligently and making it reliably available.”
The PowerOneForOne Foundation was established in 2018 as a charitable foundation of the aream Group. The guiding principle: without access to electricity, it is virtually impossible to break the cycle of poverty in the long term. Children in particular benefit from light and electricity – they can continue to learn after dark, make use of digital educational resources and shape their own futures. Since the start of its work, the foundation has implemented projects in Guatemala, Uganda, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and South Africa. Schools for hearing-impaired children have been equipped with solar power, medical facilities have received a secure energy supply, and local tradespeople have been trained in installation and maintenance. This not only creates functioning energy systems, but also generates jobs and technical expertise locally.

A current example is the project at the I-Med Africa Centre in South Africa. The facility offers medical training, IT-supported healthcare and psychological support. Unlike in many rural regions of Africa, a public electricity grid is generally available here. However, its reliability is limited. To ensure that computers, communication systems and medical equipment can continue to operate safely even during power cuts, a high-performance battery storage system is essential.

This development reflects the industrial transformation in the energy sector. The focus is shifting from pure electricity generation towards the storage and intelligent use of energy. Hybrid setups combining generation and storage are the preferred projects. Batteries are thus becoming key to security of supply – and to education. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide still live without reliable access to electricity. This is central to the PowerOneForOne Foundation’s mission: energy is more than just technology. It is a prerequisite for learning, health and economic prospects.