-
Homegrown, African-Owned: A New Approach to Building Africa’s Off-Grid Energy Industry
How can Africa achieve universal access to electricity – and what role should social business and investing play? These questions remain controversial, as investors flood the off-grid solar space, while a small number of enterprises struggle to use that capital to expand beyond their core markets. According to Dan Murphy at Catalyst Off-Grid Advisors and Andreas Zeller at Open Capital Advisors, there’s a critical “missing link” where the industry should focus to reach the region’s 120 million underserved households. And there are thousands of African entrepreneurs who can lead the way – with the right kind of support from investors.
- Categories
- Energy
-
OPIC commits $25 million through Sunfunder to expand access to off-grid power in Africa and Asia
The OPIC commitment consists of both a senior and a subordinated tranche, which will help catalyze other impact-focused investors to achieve a target fund size of $85 million. SunFunder projects that the Solar Energy Transformation Fund will make individual loans to more than 50 off-grid solar companies, which in turn will enable more than three million people to gain access to clean, affordable energy and lighting.
-
Press release: BBOXX and GE partner to provide energy access in the Democratic Republic of Congo
“We are excited to partner with BBOXX to enable energy access in the DRC. GE’s Hybrid Distributed Power system offers flexibility to deliver fast, reliable power with a digital backbone found in utility scale power plants,” said Brian Selby, Managing Director of Licensing at GE.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Refrigeration Off the Grid: Can This Technology Reduce Food Spoilage for the Billions Without Electricity?
Home refrigerators, essential appliances in much of the world, remain out of reach to over one billion people who, as social entrepreneur Quang Truong puts it, must plan their lives around eating rather than vice versa. Without access to reliable grid energy, families are not just inconvenienced – they’re also contributing to climate change as their rotting foods emit greenhouse gasses. In this post, part of our “Offline Innovation” series, Truong puts the spotlight on his Fenik Yuma cooler, which solves this dilemma through low-tech evaporative cooling.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
-
Press release: African Development Bank, Nordic Development Fund and Partners launch Off-Grid Energy Access Fund with US$58 million
The Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (OGEF) had its first close on Thursday, 2 August 2018 with committed capital of US$ 58 million from the African Development Bank, the Nordic Development Fund, the Global Environment Facility, Calvert Impact Capital and All On.
- Source
- Press release
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Unboxing Solar: An Israeli-run Startup Works to Expand Energy Access in the Palestinian Territories
Sometimes the path to social entrepreneurship can be unexpected. Take Israeli entrepreneur Yo'Av Moshe: After an armed confrontation with Israeli soldiers, he decided to use his skills to create social change in his country. He later found the inspiration for his business after leaving Tel Aviv to build a home on wheels with its own solar power system. Moshe now runs the startup SolarBox, which provides off-grid solutions in the Palestinian territories and other areas in and around Israel. He discusses the company’s unique origin story, its struggles and its tangible impact.
- Categories
- Energy, Entrepreneurship
-
Solar Startups Are Plugging Africa’s Energy Gap
Based on current trends, the World Bank predicts that even by 2040 over half a billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa will still lack electricity. Although energy use across sub-Saharan Africa has risen by 45% since 2000, supply has not kept pace with demand.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Power Play: Can Energy Access Entrepreneurs Survive the Relentless March of Grid Electricity in India?
Despite the dubious claims from the Modi administration that India has electrified every village in the country, the march to extend grid infrastructure continues unabated. So where does that leave energy access enterprises? Ananth Aravamudan, Renewable Energy lead at Villgro, explores how these firms can find creative new ways to stay relevant.
- Categories
- Energy, Entrepreneurship
Parent Organization
