Projects
- Aid Pioneers
- AROH Foundation
- Ashden
- AVSI
- Bala Vikasa
- Banco dell'Energia
- COREDA
- Dream Renewables
- Ecoclub
- EcoSwell
- EducAid
- Empower Malawi
- Etifor
- Frutti dell'Albero
- Helios Renewable Energy Foundation
- Humanitas
- Istituto Oikos
- Jana Vikasa
- Lebanon
- Mwezi Foundation
- Myanmar 2025 Earthquake
- PRO.SA
- SolarAid
- Soleterre
- Solvatten
- Sopowerful Foundation
- SSCh
- Vita Impact
Location: Sri Lanka
Helios Renewable Energy Foundation – Who they are and what they do:
Helios REF is a UK charity established following the successful private funding of a 5.5kW PV installation on a water filtration plant in Sobithagama, Sri Lanka, completed in July 2024.
The mission of Helios REF is to prevent and relieve poverty in Sri Lanka and Nepal by facilitating the provision of renewable energy to communities in need.
What NEF Does with Helios REF:
In 2024, NextEnergy Foundation initiated a partnership with Helios REF to install three 5-5.5kW PV systems in three schools located in Panama, within the Eastern District of Sri Lanka. This region was severely affected by the 2004 tsumani.
Panama, located in Ampara District, is a diverse and large community comprising Sinhalese and Tamil people. The community is served by three schools: a Sinhala Primary School, a Tamil Primary School, and a shared Secondary School. This project promotes reconciliation and fosters sustainable community development by utilizing solar energy to alleviate poverty. It aims to help all member of the Sinhalese and Tamil Communities live together in harmony.
Helios REF’s Trustees have personally visited the schools, which serve a total of 1,094 students, as detailed below:
- Sinhalese Primary School: 83 students
- Tamil Primary School: 78 students
- Secondary School: 933 students
The solar systems will be connected to the national grid (Ceylon Electricity Board – CEB), allowing excess solar energy to be exported. This will earn each school a “feed-in-tariff”, which will further supports the development of the schools’ structures. The project’s aim is to reduce the current high cost of electricity required to operate all aspects of the schools, including the water filtration system, which is currently only available in the Sinhalese Primary School.
The revenue generated from the exported electricity will enable the schools to purchase clean water from a filtration system, manage the computer lab in the senior school, and maintain a refrigeration system for storing medication.
Addittionally, each of the three installations is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 4 tonnes of per year, leading to a total reduction of around 12 tonnes of CO₂ annually for the project.
Location: Sri Lanka
Helios Renewables Energy Foundation – Who they are and what they do:
Helios Renewables Energy Foundation (Helios REF) is a UK-registered charity established following the successful privately funded installation of a 5.5kW solar PV system at a water filtration plant in Sobithagama, Sri Lanka, completed in July 2024.
The mission of Helios REF is to prevent and alleviate poverty in Sri Lanka and Nepal by facilitating access to renewable energy for communities in need.
In 2024, the NextEnergy Foundation (NEF) began a partnership with Helios REF to install three 5-5.5kW solar PV systems in schools located in Panama, in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province – an area severely impacted by the 2004 tsunami. The community of Panama, in Ampara District, is home to both Sinhalese and Tamil populations and is served by three schools: a Sinhala Primary School, a Tamil Primary School, and a shared Secondary School.
What NEF Does with Helios REF:
In 2025, NEF is funding a new initiative by Helios REF to install a 15kWp solar PV system at the ASSETS (Association to Empower the Special Needs Children) residential care home in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka.
ASSETS is a branch of the Let Us Help foundation, which provides care and education for boys and men with mental health and developmental disabilities in Kilinochchi. Many of the beneficiaries are war-affected or have been abandoned due to poverty. The centre currently supports 50 individuals aged 9–39, with a staff of 15, offering intensive, personalised programmes to foster independence and social integration. ASSETS addresses the needs of individuals who are often left without support, as their families are unable to provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, and medicine.
The initiative involves the installation of a three-phase solar PV system at the ASSETS facility to ensure sustainable and reliable energy access. The project is expected to benefit 465 people and reduce CO₂ emissions by 408 tonnes. Its positive impacts will be monitored by Helios for a minimum of two years to assess effectiveness and sustainability.