With the successful conclusion of the Empower a Billion Lives (EBL) 2025 competition this past December, the Steering Committee is shifting its gaze toward the next horizon. While we celebrate the innovations and learnings of the past competition, our mission remains urgent: achieving universal energy access. Despite the exponential decline in the cost of solar panels, batteries, and power electronics, the affordability of energy access for the hardest-to-reach communities has remained a stubborn challenge. How can these technological and commercial gains be spread to those who need them the most? In the past, we’ve adapted our competition tracks to align with commercial and technical shifts. Each EBL cycle brings new insights that we incorporate into the following one. In this cycle, we are introducing a new track to develop a fundamental missing link.
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