UK Extends Ayrton Fund To 2030, Unveils £88m Boost For Global Clean Energy Access

The United Kingdom (UK) has expanded its international clean energy and climate finance commitments.

It also extended the Ayrton Fund through 2030 alongside an £88 million scale-up of its flagship Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform.

The announcement was made during the Ayrton Forum at the opening of London Climate Action Week, where government officials, business leaders, researchers, investors and development experts gathered to discuss accelerating clean energy transitions across developing economies.

The UK government said the new commitments reinforce its global climate leadership while creating opportunities for British innovation, employment and long-term economic resilience.

Alongside the funding announcement, the government published its fourth International Climate Finance (ICF) strategy, outlining plans to mobilise climate finance, strengthen resilience to climate impacts and expand access to affordable clean energy worldwide.

Since its launch in 2021, the Ayrton Fund has supported clean energy innovation partnerships in more than 100 countries across Africa, Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

According to government figures, Ayrton-backed programmes have: improved access to clean energy for 46 million people; mobilised £3 billion in public and private investment; reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 14 million tonnes; and supported more than 256,000 green jobs globally.

The programme has also generated significant benefits for the UK economy, supporting more than 300 UK-based organisations involved in clean energy research and innovation while helping create over 1,000 jobs across the country.

Addressing participants at the Ayrton Forum, Professor Sir John Edmunds, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), stressed the importance of international cooperation in tackling global energy and climate challenges.

He described the future of development as one that combines innovation with investment while ensuring fair access to knowledge, technology and skills.

Edmunds said the Ayrton Fund demonstrates how the UK can work as an international partner by connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, governments, investors and multilateral institutions to transform ideas into practical solutions.

He added that energy remains central to issues of security, development, climate action and equality, particularly in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

The Ayrton Fund brings together the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) clean energy research, development and demonstration portfolio under a joint framework involving the FCDO, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The fund supports the development of innovative technologies and business models to accelerate clean energy adoption in developing countries.

Examples of technologies supported through Ayrton include solar-powered irrigation systems, zero-emission generators, sustainable cold-chain solutions, green fertiliser technologies, smart electricity grids, clean industrial processes and advanced energy storage systems.

Officials say these innovations not only expand energy access but also improve affordability, strengthen energy security and enhance economic resilience in regions vulnerable to fluctuations in fossil fuel prices.

The Ayrton Fund contributes directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG7 on affordable and clean energy and SDG13 on climate action.

The programme also aligns with broader UK priorities, including the Global Clean Power Alliance and efforts to accelerate the global clean energy transition while creating economic opportunities for British businesses.