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Press Release: Bangladesh-Based Clean Energy Firm SOLshare Successfully Closes US$1.1 Million Financing Round With Support From IIX Impact Partners
IIX Impact Partners – the world’s most successful debt and equity crowdfunding platform for impact investing – has supported Bangladesh-based off-grid solar energy firm SOLshare in closing a US$1.1 million financing round. Investors include innogy New Ventures LLC – the venture capital investment arm of the German utility firm innogy SE— the investment arm of Portuguese utility firm EDP Ventures, as well as new angel investors from around the world. Funding will be used to bring smart solar microgrids to off-grid, underserved communities in Bangladesh, putting SOLshare on track to positively impact 2.5 million people by 2023.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Four Key Challenges Facing India’s Local Energy Enterprises During COVID-19 – And 16 Ways Funders Can Help
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on last-mile energy companies. SELCO Foundation recently conducted surveys and conversations with 33 local Indian energy enterprises about the challenges they're facing. Sarah Alexander explores what these businesses shared about how governments, investors, philanthropies and other stakeholders can support them.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy, Finance, Social Enterprise
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A New Approach to Scaling-Up Renewable Power in Emerging Markets
Solar energy has emerged as a key solution to improving access to clean and affordable energy
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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Emergency Funding and COVID-19 Crisis Counseling for Miller Center Entrepreneurs
Back in March and April, the folks at the Pollinate Group were in a state of emergency, like most small businesses around the world. For the past seven years, the Melbourne, Australia-based enterprise had trained and developed women in poor areas in India and Nepal, teaching them the skills needed to sell solar lights, clean cookstoves and other products likely to improve community members’ quality of life.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
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Press Release: Efficiency for Access Design Challenge Celebrates University Students Promoting Clean Energy Access in Emerging Economies
Winning teams from Kenya, Uganda and the UK have been announced at the Efficiency for Access Design Challenge Grand Final.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Impact of COVID-19 as Seen in Solar Payment Data – and How One Off-Grid Energy Company is Responding
Since COVID-19 began, the energy company Bboxx has been monitoring payment trends among its 250,000+ pay-as-you-go solar customers in 12 emerging markets. Analysts at Bboxx assess the data from four African countries, exploring what it says about the pandemic's impact on solar electricity users – and about how to support these customers during the crisis.
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- Coronavirus, Energy
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Press Release: Convergence Awards Allotrope Partners Feasibility Grant Through Indo-Pacific Design Funding Window
With funding from the Australian Government, Convergence is pleased to announce it has awarded a feasibility study grant to Allotrope Partners (Allotrope) through the Indo-Pacific Design Funding Window, supporting the development of an innovative blended finance vehicle targeting Sustainable Development Goal 7–Affordable and Clean Energy in the Philippines.
- Categories
- Energy, Impact Assessment
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Scaling Cleaner Cooking Solutions in East Africa: Acumen Discusses Its Kopagas Exit
This is not just a problem of the inconvenience of outdated technology, but of health: more than 4 million people—the majority of whom are women and girls—die each year from exposure to the air pollution produced by cooking with open fires in their homes. That’s more than the number of deaths each year from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa