Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy

What Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy does

BASE Foundation, established in 2001, is a Swiss nonprofit foundation and Specialized Partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), co-founded by UNEP and the City of Basel. The organisation designs and deploys innovative financial mechanisms and business models to unlock investment in climate solutions, operating across 30 countries with 40 active projects in 2025 and a partner ecosystem of more than 50 organisations and donors. Its core offerings include pay-per-use models such as Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS), Sustainable Energy-as-a-Service (SEaaS), and Energy Savings Insurance (ESI), as well as the Coldtivate mobile application for cold chain management and Circular Economy Categorisation Systems adapted for financial institutions in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Chile.

BASE generates revenue primarily through technical assistance consultancy contracts with multilateral climate funds (GCF, GEF), development finance institutions (IDB Invest, CAF), government ministries, and commercial banks, supplemented by grant funding from bilateral donors (EU, GIZ, SIDA) and foundations such as Fondation Valery and Clean Cooling Collaborative. The organisation sells no traditional software products; its deliverables are frameworks, taxonomies, capacity-building programmes, and proposal development services delivered by a small team of 1-10 senior specialists. Distribution is achieved through direct enterprise engagement, consortium partnerships with development organisations (GIZ, UNDP, IDE-E), and managed practitioner alliances (SET Alliance with 30+ active members, CaaS Alliance). Customers include Asobanca, Banco de Bogotá, Bancolombia, Bancóldex, Ecobank Ghana, BRAC Bank, PNM, and CIMB Niaga. In 2021 BASE broadened its mandate from sustainable energy to all climate solutions, including adaptation, land use, and circular economy, materially expanding its addressable market.

Name

Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy

Legal name

BASE Foundation

Website

https://energy-base.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BASE Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit and UNEP Specialized Partner that designs innovative financial mechanisms and business models (CaaS, SEaaS, ESI, taxonomies) to unlock climate investment for financial institutions, governments, and SMEs across 30 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Finance Advisory

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), International Affairs (9721), Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Finance Strategy (CapEx planning, green finance, incentives & grants) (EUABAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Net-Zero Target Setting & SBTi/Net-Zero Standard Support (EUABAKAA), Regulatory & Disclosure Strategy (CSRD/ESRS, ISSB/IFRS S2, SEC, TCFD) (EUABAKAH), GHG Accounting & Net-Zero/Decarbonization Planning (Scopes 1–3) (EUAHAJAC), Commercial Structuring & Offtake (PPAs, CfDs, Corporate PPAs, Merchant Strategy) (EUAMAAAE), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Climate finance advisory
• Sustainable energy financing
• Green taxonomy development
• Cooling-as-a-service
• Circular economy finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Technical Assistance and Consultancy Services: BASE provides financial and technical consultancy services to governments, development finance institutions, banks, and multilateral organisations. Engagements include feasibility studies, funding proposal design and structuring, financial modelling, policy advisory, and project implementation support. Revenue is earned through consultancy contracts, often funded by multilateral climate funds (GCF, GEF), development banks (IDB Invest, CAF), bilateral donors, or foundations. Services span proposal evaluation, due diligence, contract management, and M&E.
2. Climate Finance Proposal Development and Project Structuring: BASE develops funding proposals for multilateral and bilateral donors (GCF, GEF) and designs financing structures for climate projects globally. This includes advising on blended finance structures, guarantees, green credit lines, and thematic bond frameworks for financial institution clients.
3. Knowledge Products and Training: BASE builds stakeholder capacity through training programmes, targeted outreach, workshops, and practical knowledge products. The organisation disseminates methodologies, frameworks, and best practices through publications, webinars, and community platforms (SET Alliance, CaaS Alliance). Revenue from this stream is indirect, supporting the consultancy model.
4. Donor and Grant Funding: As a Swiss foundation and UNEP Specialized Partner, BASE receives grant funding from multilateral climate funds, bilateral donors (e.g., EU, GIZ, SIDA), and foundations (e.g., Fondation Valery) to implement climate finance initiatives, develop tools, and run demonstration projects.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

BASE is a Swiss foundation and UNEP Specialized Partner that designs innovative financial mechanisms, business models, and technical assistance engagements to unlock investments in climate change solutions. It provides consultancy, project structuring, and capacity-building services to governments, multilateral climate funds, development finance institutions, and commercial banks across 30+ countries, supported by proprietary frameworks such as Cooling-as-a-Service, Energy Savings Insurance, Sustainable Energy-as-a-Service, and Circular Economy Categorisation Systems.

Product overview

BASE Foundation offers a portfolio of climate finance solutions centred on innovative business models and financial mechanisms. The core offerings include Sustainable Energy-as-a-Service (pay-per-use model for buildings), the Energy Savings Insurance (ESI) for SME energy efficiency, Your VCCA/Coldtivate for agricultural cold chain digitalisation, Cooling as a Service, and circular economy categorisation systems for financial institutions. These are complemented by the SET Alliance and Servetia for servitisation support, green credit lines for SME financing, and advisory services spanning electric mobility, adaptation & resilience, and land use solutions. The products work together to unlock climate investments by addressing market barriers through de-risking instruments, capacity building, and innovative financial structures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Energy Savings Insurance (ESI): Insurance-backed guarantee on energy savings that de-risks acquisition of high-performance equipment for SMEs.
• Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS)
• Sustainable Energy-as-a-Service
• SET Alliance
• Your VCCA
• Servetia

Products and services

• Energy Savings Insurance (ESI) Insurance-backed guarantee on energy savings that de-risks SME acquisition of high-performance equipment, enabling faster uptake of energy efficiency solutions.
• Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) Innovative pay-per-use business model for cooling technologies where customers pay for cooling service delivered rather than the equipment, with technology providers installing and maintaining equipment and recovering costs through usage-based payments.
• Sustainable Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) Pay-per-use business model that overcomes upfront investment barriers by requiring no capital expenditure, advancing deployment of efficient and renewable energy systems in buildings.
• Your VCCA (Your Virtual Cold Chain Assistant) Data-science-based solution combining decentralised solar-powered cold storage with a mobile application, enabling smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia to access affordable cooling and reduce post-harvest losses.
• SET Alliance (Servitisation for Energy Transition Alliance) Global alliance with 30+ active members supporting adoption of energy-efficient technologies 'as-a-service', providing access to expert advice and a network of servitisation specialists.
• Servetia Initiative providing technical and financial support for adopting or offering sustainable energy-as-a-service in Switzerland, leveraging BASE's global expertise in deploying servitisation solutions.
• Circular Economy Categorisation System (CECS) Circular economy categorisation tools that help financial institutions define and identify circular activities, enabling assessment and scaling of investment opportunities.
• Green Credit Lines Blended green credit lines made available to local financial institutions for on-lending to SMEs and farmers, accompanied by capacity building and technical support activities.
• Climate Finance Advisory Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over USD 160 million mobilised for Sustainable Energy-as-a-Service projects, representing 130 GWh of installed capacity delivered on a pay-per-use basis
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASE is a Specialized Partner of UNEP. The partnership was established when BASE was founded jointly by UNEP and the City of Basel in 2001. UNEP provides institutional backing and access to the broader UN climate and environment network. BASE contributes technical expertise in sustainable energy financing and climate finance innovation to support UNEP's mission.
• Green Climate Fund (GCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASE became an official GCF Project Preparation Facility (PPF) service partner in 2025, joining a pool of pre-qualified organisations providing technical assistance for GCF proposal development. BASE has contributed to multiple GCF project proposals including Solar for Health (USD 242M), Lebanon Green Investment Facility (USD 107M), ASAP Ghana, and eBus Ghana.
• GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASE partners with GIZ on multiple projects, including the Global Covenant of Mayors Sub-Saharan Africa programme (CoMSSA), funded by the European Commission, supporting urban solar projects in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana. BASE conducts financial assessments, supports tendering processes, and provides technical advice on ESCO structuring.
• UNDPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASE supports UNDP-led initiatives including the Solar for Health (S4H) programme under GCF review (USD 242M for five African countries). BASE also partners with UNDP Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition on risk mitigation workshops.
• IDB Invest / Inter-American Development BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDB Invest has engaged BASE for multiple technical assistance assignments across Latin America and the Caribbean, including circular economy categorisation systems (Colombia, Peru), green credit lines (Panama, Guatemala, Latin America), sustainable finance frameworks (Ecuador, Suriname, Caribbean), and financing mechanisms for electric buses and waste trucks.
• IDE-E (Institute for Sustainable Energy)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBASE is part of a consortium led by IDE-E for the Global Covenant of Mayors Sub-Saharan Africa programme, funded by the European Commission. BASE provides financial assessments, tendering support, and ESCO advisory services for urban solar projects.
• Climate Policy Initiative (CPI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASE is listed as an alumnus of The Lab for Climate Finance, co-convened by CPI and the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance. The relationship indicates collaboration on climate finance innovation and knowledge sharing.
• SET Alliance (Servitisation for Energy Transition Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SET Alliance is a global initiative led by BASE to scale up the deployment of cleaner and efficient energy technologies through servitisation (as-a-service) business models. The alliance has 30+ active members globally including technology providers, investors, and implementation specialists. It provides expert advice, networking, and a community of practice for servitisation specialists worldwide.
• Fondation ValerymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFondation Valery partners with BASE on the Servetia Initiative (Servetia and Servetia 2.0) to accelerate decarbonisation of Swiss buildings through energy-as-a-service models. Fondation Valery provides funding and programmatic support, leveraging BASE's global expertise in servitisation solutions.
• The Lab for Climate Finance / Global Innovation Lab for Climate FinancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cooling-as-a-Service model, developed by BASE, was endorsed and recognised as the most innovative climate finance instrument by the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance in 2019. BASE is an alumnus of The Lab, indicating prior catalytic support for its financial innovations.
• Integrate to ZeromajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegrate to Zero collaborates with BASE on multiple projects including the SET Alliance, Virtual Power Plant webinars, and integrated on-grid, on-site, on-road business model demonstration projects in Mexico, Kenya, and Colombia.
• Enterprise for Society Center (E4S)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE4S co-leads the Servetia Initiative with BASE in Switzerland, leveraging E4S's institutional resources and network to accelerate adoption of clean energy servitisation in Swiss buildings.
• IMD Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMD co-convened the Building Bridges 2025 session on 'Catalysing Sustainable Private Investments with De-risking Strategies' alongside BASE, Cardano Development, and UNDP Rome Centre. IMD contributed academic leadership and research perspectives on risk mitigation strategies.
• Cardano DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardano Development co-convened the Building Bridges 2025 session on de-risking strategies with BASE, IMD, and UNDP Rome Centre, contributing expertise in development finance and investment structuring.
• UN WomenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Women co-implements the EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Programme with UNEP, with BASE providing guidance on optimal use of UNEP grants for gender-responsive lending programmes through BRAC Bank, PNM, and CIMB Niaga in Bangladesh and Indonesia.
• Asobanca (Asociación de Bancos Privados del Ecuador)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAsobanca engaged BASE to develop the Green Taxonomy of Ecuador's Private Banking Sector, training 440 staff across 14 member banks on sustainable investment identification. The project was funded by IDB Invest and FMO.
• Bancóldex, Banco de Bogotá, Bancolombia (Colombia)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThree major Colombian banks engaged BASE through IDB Invest to pilot the Circular Economy Categorisation System aligned with Colombia's National Strategy on Circular Economy, supporting the transition from linear to circular financing.
• Suriname Bankers Association (SBV)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSBV engaged BASE to develop an Inclusive Sustainable Finance Protocol aligned with global best practices, enabling Surinamese banks to integrate ESG principles, address climate risks, and promote inclusive green financing.
• FEPCMAC (Peru)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFEPCMAC partnered with BASE on the adaptation of the Circular Economy Categorisation System (CECS) for Peru, building capacity across 11 municipal savings and credit cooperatives to develop circular finance portfolios.
• Ecobank Ghana Ltd.majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEcobank Ghana partnered with BASE and UN Environment to design the GCF Accelerating Solar Action Programme (ASAP), a USD 43 million programme to motivate investments in Solar PV for households and SMEs in Ghana.
• The 3DEN InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASE contributes to the Digital Demand-Driven Electricity Networks (3DEN) Initiative, which is launching 14 new projects leveraging digitalisation for energy and agri-food systems across 8 countries, expanding efforts to harness digitalisation for environmental and humanitarian gains.
• City of BaselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Basel co-founded BASE with UNEP in 2001. As one of BASE's founding institutional partners, the City of Basel provides ongoing support and institutional anchoring for the foundation.

Scale indicators33 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/energy_base
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-base

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy