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What Rural Solar Energy Enterprises Can Learn from Mobisol’s Hard-Earned Lesson
Energy access pioneer Mobisol’s insolvency, announced last spring, sparked questions about the industry’s health. But according to Rob Goodier, managing editor at Engineering for Change, subsequent analyses suggest that many of the company's problems were internal, not a reflection of the industry as a whole. He explores what the rural energy sector can learn from Mobisol’s struggles, based on interviews with industry insiders and two people close to the company.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Amped Innovation Closes Series A Funding of More Than $3 Million
Amped Innovation, a designer and manufacturer of solar-powered appliances and solar energy generation and management equipment, announced today that it has closed Series A equity funding totaling more than $3.3 million. The funding round was led by ENGIE Rassembleurs d’Energies with participation from existing seed investors Schneider Electric Ventures and FINCA Ventures, as well as other impact-aligned investors. This financing accelerates Amped’s ability to bring high-quality, affordable solar-powered appliances to market, serving growing demands from energy distribution companies, utilities and mini- and micro-grid providers for better power solutions.
- Source
- Press Release
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- solar
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France, Netherlands, Uk Commit US$350m to Emerging Solar and Storage
A handful of European states have moved to bankroll various World Bank clean energy initiatives, with US$100 million of French and Dutch money set to back PV in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
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The Sales Mistakes That Are Holding Back Africa’s Solar Enterprises – And How to Fix Them
Selling solar energy products is challenging, so you'd expect solar enterprises to focus on making their sales departments as effective as possible. But in fact, as Whitten & Roy Partnership CEO Scott Roy points out, most solar companies are underemphasizing sales, harming not only their businesses but the broader industry's growth. He shares essential tips for how they can create truly effective sales teams.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Climate Capitalists Have Serious Money in Climate-Friendly Investments
All want to do good by the planet. Most expect to do well for themselves.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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Jeff Bezos Unveils Sweeping Plan to Tackle Climate Change
Bezos expects 80% of Amazon’s energy use to come from renewable sources by 2024, before transitioning to zero emissions by 2030.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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The Next Big Thing for Energy Access in India? Service-Based Models for Productive-Use Appliances in Agriculture
The global off-grid solar industry has grown exponentially, driven largely by sales or leasing of small appliances enabled by the pay-as-you-go business model. But according to Lanvin Concessao at Oorja Development Solutions, the market is now shifting towards larger income-generating appliances used in small businesses and farms. He explores the impact these appliances can have in India, and how they can drive the irrigation and cold storage sectors' transition to solar energy.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy
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Report: Solar Boosting Economic Prospects for Rural East Africans
New report from GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry, shows an overwhelming majority (94%) of people living with off-grid solar home systems reporting improvements to their quality of life
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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