The AHEAD Approach
Children at Circle of Peace School
Focus on African Schools and Medical Facilities
AHEAD assists established schools and medical facilities in Africa to improve their energy systems. In turn these community institutions expose the wider community to the benefits of efficient systems, thereby spurring entrepreneurial energy development.
Local Use of Local Resources
AHEAD projects tap local energy resources for local use, not for export to other countries. We assist in providing more sustainable energy services in places traditional market-driven approaches ordinarily bypass.
Resource Neutral Decentralized Energy
Energy generation occurs over a range of scales, from a single solar panel producing tens of watts, to a coal-fired power plant or hydropower dam producing over a billion watts. Large centralized projects can provide abundant life-transforming energy for many people but are often difficult to control, operate, and maintain locally. These systems concentrate power in the hands of a few and tend not to serve poor and rural areas. Furthermore, they lose up to 75% of the energy they produce in transmission and system defects. AHEAD assists in establishing decentralized systems that use any and all energy resources in an efficient manner -- systems that are locally owned and operated.
Optimizing a Range of Resources and Technologies
Applications and consumer preferences set the stage for AHEAD's work. If cooking is the dominant need, combustible fuels are more likely to be accepted and more practical than electricity. Lighting and refrigeration are generally best provided by electricity, while electricity is absolutely essential for telecommunications, computing and other high-end needs. Transportation requires dense energy storage, sufficient to provide adequate travel range.
Collaboration
Trust and respect are at the heart of AHEAD’s work with clients. We develop solutions to needs that our clients define. This ensures both contextually-appropriate solutions and effective transfer of technology. In this way AHEAD develops human resource capacity in Africa’s energy sector.
Networking is an essential part of our approach. AHEAD maintains a Council of Experts from a variety of energy technologies and development strategies. We draw on other collaborators from across a wide spectrum of technical and social areas of expertise and bring their talents to bear on our projects as appropriate.
Focus on long-term development
AHEAD Energy’s work is aimed at long-term development, not relief. Our nonprofit orientation not only helps ensures appropriate solutions but also establishes a consistent focus on improving lives and livelihoods in ways that safeguard the natural environment. Those interested in assisting African communities to move up the “Energy Ladder” are invited to channel resources through AHEAD toward this end, thus replacing charity with solidarity.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
AHEAD Energy is committed to inclusiveness in our internal and external relationships. Respect for the dignity of others shall be our guiding principle. Internally, we do not discriminate on any basis, including race, color, cultural heritage, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, source of income, or veteran status. Externally, we communicate our values to prospective clients and choose clients that exhibit full respect for all others.
AHEAD assists established schools and medical facilities in Africa to improve their energy systems. In turn these community institutions expose the wider community to the benefits of efficient systems, thereby spurring entrepreneurial energy development.
Local Use of Local Resources
AHEAD projects tap local energy resources for local use, not for export to other countries. We assist in providing more sustainable energy services in places traditional market-driven approaches ordinarily bypass.
Resource Neutral Decentralized Energy
Energy generation occurs over a range of scales, from a single solar panel producing tens of watts, to a coal-fired power plant or hydropower dam producing over a billion watts. Large centralized projects can provide abundant life-transforming energy for many people but are often difficult to control, operate, and maintain locally. These systems concentrate power in the hands of a few and tend not to serve poor and rural areas. Furthermore, they lose up to 75% of the energy they produce in transmission and system defects. AHEAD assists in establishing decentralized systems that use any and all energy resources in an efficient manner -- systems that are locally owned and operated.
Optimizing a Range of Resources and Technologies
Applications and consumer preferences set the stage for AHEAD's work. If cooking is the dominant need, combustible fuels are more likely to be accepted and more practical than electricity. Lighting and refrigeration are generally best provided by electricity, while electricity is absolutely essential for telecommunications, computing and other high-end needs. Transportation requires dense energy storage, sufficient to provide adequate travel range.
Collaboration
Trust and respect are at the heart of AHEAD’s work with clients. We develop solutions to needs that our clients define. This ensures both contextually-appropriate solutions and effective transfer of technology. In this way AHEAD develops human resource capacity in Africa’s energy sector.
Networking is an essential part of our approach. AHEAD maintains a Council of Experts from a variety of energy technologies and development strategies. We draw on other collaborators from across a wide spectrum of technical and social areas of expertise and bring their talents to bear on our projects as appropriate.
Focus on long-term development
AHEAD Energy’s work is aimed at long-term development, not relief. Our nonprofit orientation not only helps ensures appropriate solutions but also establishes a consistent focus on improving lives and livelihoods in ways that safeguard the natural environment. Those interested in assisting African communities to move up the “Energy Ladder” are invited to channel resources through AHEAD toward this end, thus replacing charity with solidarity.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
AHEAD Energy is committed to inclusiveness in our internal and external relationships. Respect for the dignity of others shall be our guiding principle. Internally, we do not discriminate on any basis, including race, color, cultural heritage, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, source of income, or veteran status. Externally, we communicate our values to prospective clients and choose clients that exhibit full respect for all others.
