The entire Awards
week is not only designed to spotlight the innovative ways these organisations
are tackling climate change, but also to promote a specific agenda.
This year, the annual Ashden Conference addressed the ongoing challenge of accelerating
investment in organisations like Ashden’s winners. Barriers to financing
sustainable energy systems, especially decentralised solutions, are the reason over
1.2 billion people lack access to modern forms of electricity. Representatives
from from Bloomberg, Acumen and more joined the discussion to determine what measures
must be taken within the finance sector to change this reality. Throughout the
rest of the week, these organisations had the chance to attend investor events,
meet with journalists and learn from hundreds of other organisations about their
previous successes. For Ashden’s international winners, it’s an introduction to a global platform they can then access to scale their work.
Outside of
that week however, it’s not as though everything comes grinding to a halt. The
UK-based organisations go on to join an active alumni network. They are brought
together regularly for professional development seminars and events like Ashden
After Work to discuss industry trends and issues on the national agenda alongside
policy makers, investors and energy experts. Thanks to the relationships that Ashden
fosters among all these companies, they develop new partnerships, learn how to deliver
better services and discuss new solutions and innovations to bring us closer to
a low-carbon future.