Border Green Energy Team (BGET)

What Border Green Energy Team (BGET) does

Border Green Energy Team (BGET) is a Thailand-based non-profit NGO founded in 2005 that implements renewable energy and sustainable technologies for rural communities along the Thailand/Burma border. Headquartered in Mae Sot (Tak province) with a training campus called Grace Garden in Noh Bo Village, BGET designs and installs solar electricity systems, micro-hydro power, bio-digesters, solar cooking equipment, water pumping, and multi-stage water purification systems (approximately 300 liters per day capacity) for ethnic Karen villages, refugee camps (notably Mae La), migrant schools, children's homes, and medical clinics on both sides of the border. Its work has reached over 200,000 internally displaced people through solar-powered clinics that enable nighttime surgeries, childbirth deliveries, vaccine refrigeration, and malaria microscopy.

The organization operates as a lean entity of 1-10 employees with a deliberately appropriate-technology design philosophy, exemplified by a locked-container solar home system (SHS) architecture that prevents tampering, a four-drum barrel water filtration system (gravel, sand, charcoal), gasifier-based bio-char production, and Korean-inspired composting pig pens. BGET combines hardware delivery with intensive hands-on training through Grace Garden, partnering with the Engineering Studies Program at Mae La refugee camp, local schools (Wide Horizons, Noh Bo TTC, MHEP, NEED), and NGOs including IVS/Western Washington University, Gyaw Gyaw, and Aqueous Solutions to build local installation and maintenance capacity.

Revenue derives entirely from grants and donations, with institutional funders including UNESCO, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, GDF Suez (now Engie), GLOW, Green Empowerment, and SunEnergy Power International, plus individual giving via PayPal. BGET does not charge beneficiaries for systems or training, though it has explored an SHS rental/franchise model for financial sustainability. The organization received the 2009 Energy Globe World Award Grand Prize (Prague) and the Kyobo Life Award for Environment. BGET has no parent company, no traditional equity ownership, and no commercial product line; its strategic posture is humanitarian development rather than commercial market participation.

Name

Border Green Energy Team (BGET)

Legal name

Border Green Energy Team

Website

https://bget.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BGET is a Thai non-profit NGO that designs, installs, and trains rural communities along the Thailand/Burma border to operate solar, micro-hydro, bio-digesters, and water purification systems for ethnic Karen villages, refugee camps, schools, and medical clinics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Access (Off-grid, Energy Poverty Solutions) (BPAGALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Distributed Storage (Behind-the-Meter Batteries) (EUAMAJAE)

Keywords

• Renewable energy implementation
• Sustainable technology training
• Off-grid solar systems
• Community development services
• Water purification solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Tak

HQ country

Thailand

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: BGET is a non-profit organization funded through donations and grants from international organizations, governments, and individuals. They do not charge for their services to beneficiaries.
2. Fee-for-Service Solar Rental: BGET explored a solar home system rental model where households pay monthly fees for energy services while BGET retains ownership of equipment. This was designed to achieve financial sustainability independent of grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Border Green Energy Team (BGET) is a non-profit organization that implements renewable energy and sustainable technologies—including solar electricity systems, micro-hydro power, bio-digesters, solar cooking, water pumping, and water purification—along the Thailand/Burma border. It delivers these systems to ethnic villages, refugee camps, migrant schools, children's homes, medical clinics, and relief organizations, and provides hands-on training through the Grace Garden Sustainable Living and Learning Centre.

Product overview

Border Green Energy Team (BGET) is a non-profit organization (not a commercial product company) that implements renewable energy and sustainable technologies for rural border communities. Their portfolio consists of solar electricity systems, micro-hydro power, bio-digesters, solar cooking systems, water pumping, and water purification technologies. These solutions are delivered to ethnic villages, refugee camps, migrant schools, children's homes, medical clinics, and relief organizations primarily along the Thailand/Burma border. BGET also operates the Grace Garden Sustainable Living and Learning Center, which provides experiential training in sustainable practices. Their solar home systems follow a rental business model using local franchisees. The organization does not offer commercial software products, APIs, or AI-powered solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar Electricity Systems Solar photovoltaic systems designed for rural border communities, providing electricity to power lights, appliances, and communication equipment in off-grid areas.
• Micro-Hydro Power Systems Small-scale hydropower systems that generate electricity using water flow from streams and rivers to power villages along the Thailand/Burma border.
• Bio-Digesters Biogas systems that convert organic waste into usable gas for cooking and heating, supporting sustainable energy needs in rural communities.
• Solar Cooking Systems Solar thermal cooking solutions that provide clean cooking options without fuel costs or indoor air pollution.
• Water Pumping Systems Solar-powered water pumping systems that provide access to clean water for drinking, irrigation, and sanitation in remote communities.
• Water Purification Systems Multi-stage water filtration systems using gravel, sand, and charcoal filters to provide particle-free, pathogen-free, and chemical-free drinking water, capable of filtering approximately 300 liters per day.
• Solar Home Systems (SHS) Household-sized solar power systems providing enough electricity for lights and small appliances, offered through a rental model with local franchisees for installation and maintenance.
• Grace Garden Sustainable Living and Learning Centre An educational facility in Noh Bo Village that provides hands-on training in sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, natural building, water management, and life skills to students from ethnic villages, refugee camps, and migrant schools along the Thailand/Burma border.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200,000 internally displaced people have access to solar-powered clinics
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute for Village Studies (IVS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011IVS is an organization dedicated to facilitating learning experiences for students and communities through service field studies. Associated with Western Washington University, IVS has been bringing students annually to participate in BGET efforts since 2004 and specifically at Grace Garden since 2011. Students conduct independent research while supporting local community development.
• Engineering Studies Program (ESP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA specialized engineering school in Mae La Refugee Camp teaching engineering principles from mechanical engineering to CAD. BGET has maintained a strong relationship since 2004 with ESP students participating in renewable energy installations including micro-hydro, solar, bio-gas, and solar cooking.
• Gyaw GyawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA local natural construction non-profit that works with and for migrant communities along the Thailand-Burma border. Gyaw Gyaw employs skilled Karen workers, many from Noh Bo Village where Grace Garden is located. They designed and constructed the Grace Garden learning center using natural materials including adobe and bamboo.
• Aqueous SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationConducted water filter workshop at Grace Garden April 22-25, teaching participants to construct water filtration systems and gasifiers. Three water filter systems and two gasifiers were constructed during the workshop.
• SunSawangminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated as instructor in the 2013 Sustainable Living Workshop, providing training on sustainable energy alongside BGET and Gyaw Gyaw.
• Upland Holistic Development Project (UHDP)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInstructor Tui from UHDP covered sustainable agriculture topics in the 2012 Grace Garden workshop, teaching composting and natural farming methods.
• Global Youth Service Team (GYST)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization working with BGET to document their work through documentaries. American elementary school students volunteer through GYST for community service projects.
• Wide Horizons (WH) SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPost-secondary school in Mae Sot that sent 21 students to participate in the 2013 Sustainable Living Workshop at Grace Garden.
• Noh Bo Teacher Training College (TTC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal teacher training college that sent 34 students to participate in the 2013 Sustainable Living Workshop at Grace Garden.
• Blessed Home OrphanageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal orphanage that has hosted workshops and provided meals and hospitality. BGET has conducted multiple planting and sustainable living workshops for orphaned refugees from Blessed Home.
• Minmahaw Higher Education Program (MHEP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSent 24 students to Grace Garden May 26-30 for intensive week studying sustainable living techniques including agroforestry, natural buildings, solar energy, and water filtration.
• Network for Environment and Economic Development (NEED)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool in Chiang Mai that sent 20 students to participate in the 2012 Grace Garden Sustainable Living Workshop.
• Dragons and Wide HorizonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that partnered with BGET for Sustainable Living Skills Training at Grace Garden in October 2014.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SolarAid: International non-profit that distributes solar lights and home systems to off-grid households in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable to BGET in mission, distribution model through local entrepreneurs, and beneficiary focus on energy-poor rural populations.
• d.light: Pay-as-you-go off-grid solar home system provider serving off-grid households across Africa and Asia. Comparable to BGET's SHS rental pilot and shared focus on distributed solar for last-mile customers.
• Greenlight Planet (Sun King): Designer, manufacturer and distributor of off-grid solar energy solutions for households without reliable electricity, primarily in Africa and South Asia. Closely comparable off-grid solar home system product set and pay-as-you-go distribution model.
• Barefoot College: Non-profit that trains rural community members (often grandmothers) to install, maintain and operate off-grid solar PV systems. Highly comparable to BGET's Grace Garden training-of-trainers model and rural-appropriate technology focus.
• SELCO Foundation: Indian non-profit that catalyzes decentralized renewable energy access for underserved households through last-mile distribution, financing, and local capacity building. Comparable mission, community-based GTM, and reliance on grant plus earned-income streams.
• Practical Action: International development NGO that promotes 'appropriate technology' (including small-scale renewable energy and water systems) for poor communities in the Global South. Comparable integrated energy/water/agriculture portfolio and training-driven delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• M-KOPA: Larger commercial pay-as-you-go solar home system operator in East Africa that has scaled the rental model BGET piloted. Comparable product and customer, but operates at materially larger commercial scale.
• SNV: Dutch international development organization running renewable energy access, WASH, and agriculture programs across developing countries. Comparable development-sector funding model and cross-border delivery in fragile contexts, though energy is one of many verticals.

Emerging players

• Frontier Markets: India-based last-mile distribution and FinTech platform delivering off-grid solar and clean energy appliances to rural households through a local rep network. Comparable last-mile distributed energy distribution to underserved geographies.

Others

• SunFunder: Solar finance intermediary that funds off-grid energy companies in emerging markets. Relevant adjacent ecosystem participant that could provide capital partnerships as BGET's SHS rental model matures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/10974884
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/border-green-energy-team

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Border Green Energy Team (BGET)