Energy Corps: EQT CEO Toby Rice, Wife Aileen Rice, and Geologist Scott Tinker Launch Non-Profit to Address Global Energy Poverty, Promote Clean Cooking Fuels, and Support Human Flourishing

     EQT CEO Toby Rice and his wife Aileen Rice, along with legendary geologist Scott Tinker, founded Energy Corps to address global energy poverty. The non-profit has goals to advance human flourishing, inspired by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The group seems to be focused mainly on energy poverty and energy access. One might see the name Energy Corps as a possible reference to the Peace Corps, as the work is similar in some ways.

     According to a February 18 press release:

“The organization identifies and tests pathways that enable modern energy to scale, and addresses the policy, financing, and demand-side barriers to energy development.”

“Billions of people are still being left behind without access to clean cooking and reliable electricity—and that is one of the greatest sustainability challenges of our time,” said Toby Rice. “America’s energy industry has a proven track record of delivering affordable, reliable, and lower-emission solutions in the developed world. Now it’s time to focus that same innovation and commitment on the billions who stand to benefit most.”

     The non-profit is also involved in bringing clean cooking fuels to developing countries, where dependence on wood, charcoal, and even dung as cooking fuels has resulted in respiratory issues and premature death for millions of mostly women and children. This issue has existed for a long time and has not been alleviated nearly enough. When Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State in 2009, during Obama’s first term, she led a global clean cooking fuels initiative that was ended by the first Trump administration.

     As shown below, the projects so far are mainly in Africa. The Switch Energy Alliance was founded by Tinker as an energy education project that has resulted in two great movies, an excellent and very informative TV show, Energy Switch, on PBS, and other great projects.

     According to another February 18 press release:

“Energy Corps today announced its role as a founding contributor to the Clean Cooking Accelerator Initiative, a new collaboration with the Clean Cooking Alliance, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet designed to rapidly scale access to modern cooking solutions across Africa.”

     The initiative was announced during the High-Level Dialogue on Advancing Energy Access and Cooking Solutions, hosted by the International Energy Agency. Energy Corps is focused on “mobilizing private sector resources toward clean cooking supply chains.” Access to affordable propane is a main issue. They explain past issues that they hope to resolve:

“Progress has often been constrained by fragmented delivery models, limited investment pipelines, and weak project design. The clean cooking solutions offered through this Initiative will replace polluting fuels like biomass, improve public health, and create economically durable pathways to affordable clean cooking access.”

     Energy Corps is providing $500,000 for the initiative. They go into more detail about how they hope to streamline processes, develop fuel access infrastructures, train people, and coordinate with governments and other NGOs. They also have support from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Global Energy Alliance, and African governments. 

     Another focus is to facilitate private investment in the Clean Cooking Accelerator Initiative and other energy access initiatives. Global Energy Alliance noted that Energy Corps’ private sector expertise can really help fund and manage these kinds of energy access projects. Private sector project management could perhaps make the program more efficient as well. 

     Energy Corps emphasizes its 50-50-50 moonshot: 50 MWh per person per year, 50K GDP per capita, and 50 years of commitment.

     

 

References:

 

A World Where Everyone Has the Energy Needed to Flourish. Energy Corps. Energy Corps - A World Where Everyone Has the Energy Needed to Flourish

Energy Corps Works to Accelerate the Global Shift from Energy Poverty to Energy Prosperity. Energy Corps. February 18, 2026. FRxPLDZRWjSNImlBJwX5OH5oSF0.pdf

Energy Corps Joins Global Effort for Energy Access Through Clean Cooking Accelerator Initiative. Energy Corps. February 18, 2026. 3uxhtXR8jQF6iVPROnSjh4qcWA.pdf