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Businesses in boxes: how solar is creating African entrepreneurs
Access to power is a major issue in Africa, and in solar, many people feel they have the solution. Yet solar is doing more than switching on off-grid populations, and providing a potentially lucrative and investor friendly business opportunities to companies like M-KOPA Solar and BBOXX.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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This $118 million mutual fund pays companies in carbon credits
What does the growth of a smallholder milk farm in Kenya have to do with the success of institutional investor SAP? The Livelihoods Carbon Fund, a newly launched impact investment fund, ties global sustainable economic development to emissions reduction from Danone, SAP, Schneider Electric and five other corporations. Launched Dec. 11 — just before the International Climate Summit in Paris — the fund aims to reach about a $118 million investment in ecosystem restoration, agroforestry and renewable energy projects next year in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which will avoid or sequester up to 25 million tons of CO2 over 20 years.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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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.
- Categories
- 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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