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A Roadmap to Modern Energy in Rural Africa: How Minigrids Are Poised to Power the Region’s Economic Growth
Universal electrification is the key to unlocking sub-Saharan Africa's vast potential. But according to Brad Mattson at Husk Power Systems, despite the growing consensus that solar minigrids are the key to providing modern electricity in rural Africa, scale remains elusive in the continent's minigrid industry. In the aftermath of Husk's recent announcement that it has become the first rural minigrid developer to achieve profitability, Mattson explores the roadmap he and his fellow Husk executives have created, which defines a clear pathway to profitability and scale for the industry.
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- Energy
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Announcing NextBillion’s Most Influential Articles of 2022: Vote for Your Favorite!
It's time for NextBillion's “Most Influential Article of the Year” contest, in which we select our 12 most-read articles from the past year and invite readers to choose their favorites. We welcome you to read the articles and to vote by scrolling down to the voting app at the bottom of this announcement — or at the individual articles in the contest, which are linked in this announcement and posted on our homepage. You can vote up to one time per hour during the voting period, which will run from Dec. 21 to Jan. 3. We wish you a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year!
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- Agriculture, Coronavirus, Energy, Environment, Finance, Impact Assessment, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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India’s Electric Vehicle Revolution: Six Trends That Will Shape the Sector in the Coming Years
India’s electric vehicle (EV) revolution is here. According to Venkat Rajaraman at Cygni, with the national government urging local manufacturers to switch to EVs – and subsidies and growing competition making them increasingly affordable – these vehicles are quickly becoming the country’s favorite mode of transportation. He explores six trends that are likely to shape the electric vehicle sector’s ongoing growth in India in the coming years.
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- Energy, Technology, Transportation
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To Stop Climate Catastrophe, Invest in Clean Cooking: Exploring the Lack of Funding – And Signs of Progress – In the Industry
As devastating heat waves and wildfires become an unwelcome part of summer around the world, it's clear that climate change is no longer a future risk we need to prepare for, but an ongoing crisis we need to navigate. To tackle this challenge, Dymphna van der Lans at the Clean Cooking Alliance argues that the world needs to phase out inefficient, greenhouse gas-emitting cooking methods like wood- and charcoal-burning fires – but for that to happen, funders will need to step up. She explores the lack of funding that has typically plagued the clean cooking sector, and discusses some promising signs of growing momentum.
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- Energy, Environment
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A Roadmap for Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Island Nations: Three Success Factors for the Eastern Caribbean’s Transition from Fossil Fuels
The Eastern Caribbean has struggled in recent years, as natural disasters – combined with the COVID-19 pandemic – have caused a precipitous drop in the tourism revenues it depends on. But as Pepukaye Bardouille at the IFC explains, transitioning to renewable energy could help address this challenge, reducing the region’s cost of electricity, supporting its climate resilience, limiting its dependence on imported fossil fuels, and producing jobs outside the tourism sector. She presents three success factors for achieving this transition – insights that could also be applicable to other island nations.
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- Energy, Environment, Investing
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How Global Corporations Can Boost Local Renewable Energy Production: The Transformative Potential of D-RECs in Emerging Markets
If the world hopes to address climate change, large corporations must transition away from fossil fuels for their power needs. To that end, corporations can buy renewable energy certificates, allowing them to claim renewable energy use and meet their climate commitments, while providing needed funding to renewable projects. But as Beatrice Kennedy at Powertrust points out, emerging markets generally lack access to this solution. She explores how distributed renewable energy certificates (D-RECs) can address this gap, leveraging blockchain and open-source technology to create a global marketplace for renewable energy generated in emerging countries.
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- Energy, Technology
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A Gender-Smart Renewable Energy Transition: Why Climate Change Solutions Can’t Overlook Inequality
The Sustainable Development Goals recognize gender equality (SDG 5) and affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) as imminent priorities. Yet Rachel Murphy at Deetken Impact argues that women have been left out of the clean energy conversation – and that the world is running out of time to meaningfully change course. She explains why no single SDG can be achieved without the integration of both a gender and climate perspective, and explores how can the energy industry can move toward greater inclusion and empowerment of women.
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- Energy, Environment, Impact Assessment
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The Low-Hanging Fruit of Energy Access: Unlocking the Potential of Energy Efficiency Solutions for African Businesses
You’ve likely heard plenty of discussion of the approximately 600 million people who lack basic access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. But Adam Fitzwilliam at Camco Clean Energy points out that it's not just individuals who are energy poor: The region's business sector also needs access to reliable, renewable electricity. He explains why focusing on energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective ways to address energy demand in the commercial and industrial sector, and explores why these efforts haven’t taken off yet in most sub-Saharan African markets.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance