For the past 20 years, Palladium has committed 1.5% of our profit before tax to our global giving platform, Let’s Make it Possible. Through this platform and in partnership with the Kyeema Foundation, Palladium funds humanitarian relief efforts, supports community projects nominated by employees, and runs an annual Challenge Fund to tackle a major global problem.

Palladium is proud to launch the 2025 Challenge Fund, this year focused on a bold and urgent theme: Rural Energy Revolution – Energy Efficient Storage for Remote Communities.

Across the globe, remote communities continue to face daily uncertainty due to inconsistent or non-existent electricity access. Unreliable grid connections, paired with the intermittent nature of renewable energy, make it difficult for households and local businesses to power essential services like healthcare, education, refrigeration, and communications. The absence of effective storage solutions exacerbates these challenges, deepening social and economic inequalities.

The 2025 Challenge Fund seeks to change this.

"Stable, sustainable energy access is a cornerstone of modern development," says Sinéad Magill, Chair of the Kyeema Foundation and CEO of Palladium. "Without it, communities are locked out of opportunities the rest of the world takes for granted. This fund is about shifting that balance."

A Call for Practical, Transformational Innovation

This year’s fund will support pioneering energy storage innovations that improve the reliability and usability of renewable energy in off-grid areas. The goal is to deliver clean, stable, and affordable power, enabling communities to meet daily needs and unlock long-term opportunity.

"When we bring innovative energy storage to remote areas, we’re opening doors to economic growth and community empowerment," explains Magill. "It’s not just about technology; it’s about transforming lives and building a future where every community thrives."

The Challenge Fund is seeking proposals that combine technical ingenuity with social impact. Solutions should provide consistent, reliable access to power while being cost-effective for households and small businesses. They should also strengthen the value of local renewable resources and minimise environmental impact. Most critically, the strongest proposals will empower communities by building local skills, supporting long-term system ownership, and fostering the capacity to scale and maintain these solutions independently.

"We are not only funding technology, we are investing in people," Magill adds. "These are solutions that must work in practice, be maintained locally, and create opportunities that last."

Innovation in Action

Past applicants have shown the power of innovation to change lives. For 2025, we are particularly interested in approaches such as:

Using repurposed lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles or electronics to create modular energy storage units. Designed for longevity and affordability, these systems can serve individual households or be shared across communities.

Capturing excess solar or wind power as thermal energy for cooking, water heating, or light industrial activity. Ideal solutions will use accessible, locally sourced materials like phase-change substances or insulated tanks.

Designing mechanically simple systems, such as compressed air or gravity-based storage, where energy is stored by physical means and released when needed. These approaches are low maintenance and ideal for resource-constrained environments.

Developing community-led battery recycling and local assembly workshops that turn waste into opportunity. These initiatives can reduce environmental harm while building local technical skills and generating employment.

Powering Possibility

The Challenge Fund team is seeking proposals from organisations that offer innovative, sustainable solutions to energy storage challenges in remote communities. We are particularly interested in ideas that strengthen energy access, build local resilience, and drive long-term social and economic transformation.

Together, let’s make it possible to power every community with clean, stable, and sustainable energy.

Interested organisations can learn more and apply at letsmakeitpossible.com.