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US Developer Lands $1.75 Million Deal for Nigerian Mini-Grids
Former start-up Husk, which originally based its business on renewables powered by rice industry waste products, has agreed to develop seven solar-plus-storage mini-grids across rural communities in Nasarawa state.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Optimizing Results-Based Financing for Off-Grid Energy: Why Localization Can Provide a Pathway to More Effective Investment
Leading investors across the energy access sector have embraced results-based financing (RBF) as a key mechanism to unlock private capital for small-scale solar and mini-grid businesses, and to advance the world toward universal electrification. But according to Audrey Desiderato at SunFunder and Martijn Veen at SNV, the remote design and management of RBF programs increases the risk that these funds will exclude local actors and innovation. They share findings from a recent white paper exploring the need for more localization in results-based financing for off-grid energy.
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Innovative Financing Secures 28 New Minigrids in Nigeria
These 28 distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems, designed as solar PV and battery-powered minigrids, aim to connect 55,000 people to electricity in rural areas.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Renewvia Energy Receives $1 Million Commitment from SIMA Fund to Electrify Communities in Rural Kenya
Social Investment Managers and Advisors LLC (SIMA), a new generation of impact investment manager, and Renewvia Energy Corporation, a global solar developer, today announced a partnership to electrify rural communities in Kenya underserved by conventional utilities.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Minigrids and Cold Storage Are a Match Made in Sustainable Development Heaven – So What’s Keeping Them Apart?
The minigrid sector faces a dilemma: Most rural customers need electricity in the evenings, yet most minigrids generate their power during the day. This requires them to store unused power in expensive batteries, complement their solar power with diesel generators, or reduce production. As Seth Silverman and Tom Chaplin at Factor[e] Ventures explain, cold storage providers could offer minigrids reliable demand for their surplus power – yet these partnerships aren't happening. They explore the obstacles, and some potential solutions.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Entrepreneurship
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The Public Option: How Smart Tariff Subsidies Can Boost Minigrids and Solve Africa’s Rural Energy Access Dilemma
The World Bank estimates that minigrids can provide electricity for up to 500 million people by 2030, and that the cost of minigrid electricity per kilowatt hour will decrease by two thirds in the same period. But as Daniel Kitwa at the Africa Minigrid Developers Association points out, these goals can only be realized through effective public policy, scale and innovation. He explains why a smartly designed subsidy program to reduce the cost of minigrid power for rural customers is the critical missing piece in these efforts.
- Categories
- Energy
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Analysis: Grid or Solar: Looking for the Best Energy Solution for the Rural Poor
Grid electricity is often said to be critical for long-term human development because it provides sufficient power for appliances and small industries. But are the substantially higher investment costs justified by the economic impact?
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: DFC and Rockefeller Foundation Sign MOU to Invest in Solutions to End Energy Poverty
The MOU seeks to achieve economies of scale by bringing together two major initiatives: The Rockefeller Foundation’s Powering an Inclusive Covid-19 Recovery and DFC’s Roadmap for Impact, the agency’s new strategy for maximizing its development impact.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
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