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Press release: African Development Bank, Nordic Development Fund and Partners launch Off-Grid Energy Access Fund with US$58 million
The Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (OGEF) had its first close on Thursday, 2 August 2018 with committed capital of US$ 58 million from the African Development Bank, the Nordic Development Fund, the Global Environment Facility, Calvert Impact Capital and All On.
- Source
- Press release
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Oil’s Surge Clouds Clean-Air Quest in Emerging Economies
The nations are embracing such supplies once again as crude’s recovery exacerbates economic pain and boosts inflation, threatening to undermine efforts made during oil’s slump to curb pollution.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Hyderabad based Solar Startup Cygni Energy Raises $6.4 Mn in Funding led by Endiya Partners
The funds will help the startup in expanding capacity, strengthening R&D capabilities and increasing market reach.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
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Waste-to-energy plant to take on Ethiopia’s rubbish epidemic
A landslide of rubbish from a vast open-air landfill site just outside of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, killed more than 110 people last year. This weekend, the Ethiopian government inaugurated a $120 million waste-to-energy plant, right next to the garbage dump, in an attempt to curb the city's mounting waste problem.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- renewable energy, waste
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Unboxing Solar: An Israeli-run Startup Works to Expand Energy Access in the Palestinian Territories
Sometimes the path to social entrepreneurship can be unexpected. Take Israeli entrepreneur Yo'Av Moshe: After an armed confrontation with Israeli soldiers, he decided to use his skills to create social change in his country. He later found the inspiration for his business after leaving Tel Aviv to build a home on wheels with its own solar power system. Moshe now runs the startup SolarBox, which provides off-grid solutions in the Palestinian territories and other areas in and around Israel. He discusses the company’s unique origin story, its struggles and its tangible impact.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Solar Startups Are Plugging Africa’s Energy Gap
Based on current trends, the World Bank predicts that even by 2040 over half a billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa will still lack electricity. Although energy use across sub-Saharan Africa has risen by 45% since 2000, supply has not kept pace with demand.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Power Play: Can Energy Access Entrepreneurs Survive the Relentless March of Grid Electricity in India?
Despite the dubious claims from the Modi administration that India has electrified every village in the country, the march to extend grid infrastructure continues unabated. So where does that leave energy access enterprises? Ananth Aravamudan, Renewable Energy lead at Villgro, explores how these firms can find creative new ways to stay relevant.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Banking on the Unbanked: Assessing True ‘Creditworthiness’
The combination of advanced fintech with off-grid solar solutions has been a winning combo for Colibrí, a social enterprise devoted to promoting energy access in rural Nicaragua. Its Fácil-Pago technology, powered by Angaza Design, has succeeded partly thanks to the business' approach to an often-difficult financial task: responsibly assessing the credit-worthiness of unbanked customers. Morgan Babbs, Colibrí founder and CEO, explains why the approach to calculating credit-worthiness has resulted in exceeding low default rates among other advantages.