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Home Solar + Microfinance: Mitigating Risks and Maximizing Rewards
The social impact of home solar systems in off-grid villages has shown itself to be broader than initially thought. But while social enterprises continue to roll out new forms of solar, financing their purchase can put these innovations out of reach for the low-income households that need them most. Mark Roesink of Oikocredit shares how weaving responsible microlending into the solar industry could generate greater impact for energy access in emerging markets like India and Kenya.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Mini-grids could be a boon to poor people in Africa and Asia
Vijay Bhaskar of Mlinda says a big mistake in development has been to assume that, once people are hooked up to electricity, businesses will automatically flourish. People have to be taught how to make the most of power, he says. “Bringing energy is the easy part. The hard part is finding productive ways to make use of it.”
- Categories
- Energy
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Adversary to Ally: Why My Social Enterprise Joined Forces with a Competitor
"Collaboration" is a popular buzzword in the social impact sector, but many energy access firms ventures invariably find themselves vying with one another for customers and resources. Anya Cherneff, founder of Empower Generation, chose a different direction to grow her business' mission of empowering rural female entrepreneurs: She joined forces with Pollinate Energy – a key competitor. Cherneff discusses the decision – and its ongoing impact on both companies – in this insightful post.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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Press release: OPIC and U.S. Department of Energy Announce “Partnership to Power the Americas”
OPIC, the U.S. government’s development finance institution, announced a commitment to mobilize $1 billion in investment in Mexico’s energy sector over the next three years, to help strengthen energy reserves, with expansion throughout Latin America. In addition, the Department of Energy will identify regions and sectors throughout Latin America that present opportunities for U.S. energy companies and OPIC will assist those companies by providing financing and insurance when it is unavailable from the private sector.
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- Energy
- Region
- North America
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The Path to 100 Gigawatts: How India Has Emerged as a Global Leader in Solar Energy
India has displaced Japan as the third-largest market for solar power and is poised to bump the U.S. from the No. 2 spot, as it works toward boosting its renewable capacity to 100 gigawatts by the end of 2022. Though it still relies on coal plants and has dangerous air pollution levels, the landscape is changing fast, with 14 new solar parks planned – including one that's set to become the world’s largest. Sahaj Desai outlines the momentum and challenges behind India's renewable energy revolution.
- Categories
- Energy
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Powering the World’s Poorer Economies: A Response to Bill Gates and Jigar Shah
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and SunEdison founder Jigar Shah have clashed in a heated debate over the best way to provide energy access to the world’s poor.
- Categories
- Energy
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TPG Growth’s Rise Fund invests $70 mn in Fourth Partner Energy
Fourth Partner Energy will use the funding to accelerate its growth through the RESCO (renewable energy service company) model
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Renewable energy projects worth $1bn destined for West Africa
With financial backing from the US government, solar developer Gigawatt Global Cooperatief signed a deal with the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), to build $1bn worth of renewable energy projects in the region.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- renewable energy
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