Policy Plan

Foundation⁰ is an open source platform that promotes novel renewable energy and energy efficient technologies and solutions to changemakers. With a particular focus on the housing, maritime and farming industries — we aim to increase awareness about new solutions and inspire the target audiences to adopt them.

By providing knowledge about renewable energy solutions we want to have a positive impact on the environment. We do this by:

1. Sharing data, learnings and developments with open source white papers and reports and connecting industry leaders and researchers
2. Showcasing current technological developments and their usefulness to early adopters and people with an interest in the field by video, articles and social media.

To display our first learnings into a practical example, we developed the Power Hub. A remodelled freight container that uses renewable energy to provide power, heating and cooling functionality, water management, and more. The Power Hub has three main purposes: to provide renewable energy, to act as a testing and validation platform for new developments, and to show the public what’s possible with sustainable technology.

The first operational use of this hub will be during the sailing competition America’s Cup in 2024. After that, research institutes or events with a sustainable focus can request the Power Hub for testing and as an energy provider.

This policy plan reflects the period from the moment of founding up to and including the current date. In addition to this policy plan, the articles of organisation are available for public consultation.

Organisation

Foundation⁰ works with a small pool of freelancers, such as writers and video producers to create in depth content for the website. The basis for this content is provided by engineers from our various (sub)contractors in the form of in-depth knowledge that leads towards technical innovation. We have a variety of partners that support our objective by supporting us with technical knowledge and research.

Board

Foundation⁰ has a board of four members:

Objective

Since the start in Q4 2023, Foundation⁰ has three main objectives:

1. Inspire innovators (maritime, housing, farming industries) to advance/implement research on technical innovation in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
2. Inspire early adopters in different industries (maritime, housing, farming) to use renewable energy sources and use energy more efficiently.
3. Increase awareness of technical innovation in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Foundation⁰ aims to accelerate change in four different ways:

• Elevating technical solutions by content creation on the platform
• Sponsoring like-minded organisations with the aim to create awareness
• Supporting research regarding renewable energy by offering the use of our Power Hub
• Measuring the impact of the developed innovations and sharing the data

Projects

The foundation currently supports the following projects:

1. Yacht Zero — a first of its kind fossil-free operating sailing yacht where we showcase the technical innovation to inspire others within the maritime industry.
2. Power Hub — a portable freight container designed to act as an energy provider and testing unit.
3. Canal house — a monumental building redesigned into an office with all renewable energy elements to be able to function as energy neutral as possible.
4. Valle Vento — an organic farm operating with zero emission applications that acts as a research and visit centre for education.

All project data will be shared open source.

Operational Policy

Foundation⁰ exists solely for philanthropic purposes and will maintain the highest level of integrity and transparency. The Stichting (foundation) does not exist to make a profit and any profits that are made as a result of its stated activities will be reinvested in the foundation.

Income and Expenses

Currently Foundation⁰ is receiving funding from impact investors that share our vision to be a catalyst for change related to renewable energy.

Management of funds

Foundation⁰ receives and spends its income through a bank account. Any return on that account is used directly for the realisation of its objective.

In accordance with the requirements for the Dutch charity status (‘ANBI-status’), the foundation does not hold more capital than is reasonably necessary for the continuity of its planned activities in view of the realisation of its objective. Further, Foundation⁰ specifies the purpose for which the assets are held in its financial administration, together with a motivation for the value of those assets.

Financial Policy

Once per year, the annual accounts will be published within six months after the end of the calendar year. This is in accordance with the articles of Foundation⁰. In general, the annual account will be prepared compliant with the Dutch reporting standards for organisations without profit seeking intent. The annual account will be approved and confirmed by the board of Foundation⁰.