Innovation and Technology for Rural Electrification: Our Experience in the Philippines with Acciona.org

ERASMUS+ Staff Mobility for Training

In January 2025, our team had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines, thanks to the funding provided by the ERASMUS+ Staff Mobility for Training program, to collaborate with the Acciona.org Foundation Philippines on their inspiring last-mile rural electrification project. This project is a remarkable example of how innovation and technology can transform lives in remote communities.

The Acciona.org Foundation provides access to electricity to 2,500 households through an innovative model based on the concept of Energy as a Service. This approach ensures the sustainability and scalability of the project, addressing common challenges in rural electrification initiatives.

During our stay, we visited Manila and rural communities in El Nido (Palawan). These visits gave us firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities communities face in implementing these types of solutions.

The collaboration with the Acciona.org Foundation was a valuable experience of mutual learning. Through several sessions, we shared our lessons learned in rural electrification and delved into the specific challenges of operating in remote areas. Additionally, we worked together on designing technological solutions to improve the management and operation of energy systems.

Among the identified solutions, the implementation of mobile payment tools stands out as a key element to facilitate payment management within the Energy as a Service model. Additionally, providing mobile connectivity to field project management centers emerged as an essential measure to enhance data management and improve the monitoring of each household.

This collaboration reaffirms the importance of combining technology, sustainability, and a people-centered approach to overcome the challenges of rural electrification. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Acciona.org Foundation Philippines and hope that the solutions identified during this experience will drive a positive and lasting impact on the benefited communities.