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The False Choice in African Energy Access: Why the Sector Must Balance the Needs of Households and Businesses — And How it Can Electrify Both
Energy access is essential to Africa’s development. But as Alba Topulli at CLASP and Todd Moss at the Energy for Growth Hub argue, progress has stalled over a false choice: Should the continent prioritize solar home systems that bring basic access to households — or should it invest in making electricity cheaper and more reliable for businesses, to power job creation and economic growth? They explain why the energy access sector must resist this perceived trade-off, and propose four key principles that can allow Africa to accomplish both of these goals.
- Categories
- Energy
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Press Release: Rockefeller Foundation Report Finds Nuclear Energy Could Deliver up to 30% Electricity Generation for Emerging Economies
New data from Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, and South Africa show that nuclear — including next-generation SMRs — could deliver up to 30% of electricity generation and lower system costs by up to 31% by 2050 compared to renewables-only pathways.
- Categories
- Environment
- Region
- Global
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‘I Can’t Afford Cooking Gas,’ Shutdown of Kenya’s Koko Biofuel Firm Wipes Out Clean Cooking Options
In Nairobi's informal settlements, the closure of Kenyan supplier Koko Networks has left thousands of households without access to clean bioethanol cooking fuel.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Rockefeller, World Bank Fund Solar Projects Across Six African Countries to Boost Agriculture
The initiative will support the rollout of solar-powered cold storage facilities, refrigerators, water pumps and grain mills in Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Analysis: Rising Coal Demand Overshadows Southeast Asia’s Transition to Renewable Energy
Indonesia is the world’s largest coal exporter and Southeast Asia’s biggest carbon emitter making it vital for the region ’s energy transition.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- South Asia
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Solar Power Could Drive African EV Boom Sooner Than Expected
A new study led by ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), published in Nature Energy, challenges the long-held assumption that combustion engines will dominate the continent until at least the mid-century.
- Categories
- Energy, Transportation
- Region
- Global
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WattWallet Expands Digital Access to Prepaid Electricity in South Africa
The South African startup allows consumers to buy prepaid electricity tokens in a few clicks.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Cheap Solar Is Transforming Lives and Economies Across Africa
Chinese panels are now so affordable that businesses and families are snapping them up, slashing their bills and challenging utilities.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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