Small team, long view
Aloe Energy is a small, not-for-profit initiative focused on energy access and rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa. Like the aloe plant, the idea is to be tough, low-maintenance and useful where conditions are hard.
Brandon Simons
Brandon is a power systems engineer based in Zambia, where he leads energy infrastructure development in North-Western Province. His work covers rural grid expansion with the national utility and government, and solar and mini-grid projects for a rural utility that runs alongside the national grid.
His path to Aloe Energy started as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Zambia, installing solar for a community school. It continued through a master's in sustainable engineering at Villanova University, where his research on reusing hybrid car batteries for solar storage was published through IEEE, then second-life electric vehicle batteries in California and rural electric cooperatives in Zambia.
He founded Aloe Energy to work at the grid edge: planning mini-grids as part of the grid, giving batteries and solar panels more than one life, and sharing maps, data and methods openly.
Who helped along the way
Past programmes and partners whose support shaped Aloe Energy.
MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund
Supported Aloe Energy through its fall 2022, spring 2023 and summer 2023 cohorts with mentoring and seed funding.
Villanova University
Home of the thesis research, through the Department of Sustainable Engineering and the Center for Humanitarian Engineering.
IEEE GHTC
The IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference published the research in 2022.
Field Ready
Identified the Prius battery problem in Fiji and issued the call to action that started the research.
2nd Life Batteries and Bumblebee Batteries
Donated the used Prius battery modules tested in the lab.
SolarBuddy
Collaborated on solar cooking design in 2021 and on Community Buddy, a second-life solar mini-grid concept, in 2023.
Engineering for Change
Research fellowship in 2021 that paired Brandon with SolarBuddy on solar cooking for rural households.
Power Wells
Fellow energy-access non-profit and early conversation partner on pilot projects.
Special thanks to thesis advisors Dr. Pritpal Singh, Prof. Iain Hunt and Dr. Jordan Ermilio at Villanova University.