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The Danger of Subsidized Solar: How Government and Donors Unwittingly Hobbled Our Business
After entering Myanmar as the country's first pay-as-you go solar power provider in 2015, Brighterlite recently ceased operations there, losing the nearly US $2 million invested in the startup. Jørund Buen, co-founder of the firm that owns Brighterlite, explains what went wrong – and the role that government and donors played in the failure.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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How low CSR in the clean energy sector is hurting India
India, the second most populous economy in the world, has clearly the most number of households without electricity. It is estimated that, till date, approximately 300 million people in India lack access to energy.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
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Announcing the Most Influential NextBillion Posts of 2017
As we welcome 2018, we'd like to pay a final tribute to the top posts of 2017. In their own way, each of these insightful pieces introduced a novel concept, approach or argument that captured our readers' attention – and in some cases, provoked their ire. Here are the winners of 2017's Most Influential Post Contest.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Finance, Investing
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Can renewable power offset bitcoin’s massive energy demands?
“You need cheap energy to fuel your hardware,” says HydroMiner’s co-founder and CEO Nadine Damblon. By setting up shop next to where the electricity is produced, the start-up is able to pay only 4 to 6 euro cents per kW, racking up over $300,000 in profits every month. “Hydropower is the best renewable energy we could find,” Damblon says.
- Categories
- Energy
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Wind is now the cheapest source of clean energy in India
The crash in tariffs comes at the heels of a recent announcement by the Narendra Modi government that resurrected the Indian wind power market after nearly a year of stagnation. The country’s power ministry announced a slew of guidelines for state electricity utilities that want to procure wind power from independent producers.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- renewable energy
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Wind is now the cheapest source of clean energy in India
The crash in tariffs comes at the heels of a recent announcement by the Narendra Modi government that resurrected the Indian wind power market after nearly a year of stagnation. The country’s power ministry announced a slew of guidelines for state electricity utilities that want to procure wind power from independent producers.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- renewable energy
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What was the Most Influential NextBillion Post of 2017? Vote for Your Favorite
“Fast away the old year passes.” That lyric from “Deck the Halls” always hits home this time of year – and in 2017, it resonates particularly strongly. Across the social sectors, the year often felt like a race against time (or against competing societal forces) and many of our most popular posts reflect that sense of urgency. Here are the most influential posts from the last twelve months, one from each month, in our sixth annual holiday contest. Vote early, vote often.
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There is Such a Thing as Too Much, Too Fast: Avoiding ‘Mismatched Expectations’ in Off-Grid Energy Investing
A recent post by impact investing firm Ceniarth on the "Energy Access Hype Cycle" has generated considerable discussion, prompting critical responses from fellow impact investors Persistent Energy Capital and the off-grid lighting trade organization GOGLA. With this post, writers at the IFC join the discussion, analyzing the effect of rapid growth rates, high levels of consumer financing and operational efficiency on the liquidity of solar home system providers.
- Categories
- Energy, Investing, Technology