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Beyond Energy Efficiency: Key Trends and Pathways to Scale in the Solar Appliance Market
Solar appliance uptake is a key element of global energy access efforts. But according to Yasemin Erboy Ruff and Lauren Boucher at CLASP, no appliance is close to reaching market saturation, despite considerable gains in recent years. They share highlights from Efficiency for Access' 2021 Solar Appliance Technology Briefs, which characterize the market, trends and pathways to scale for 11 off-grid-appropriate solar appliances and enabling technologies, and explore what these findings mean for the solar appliance market and the customers it serves.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Technology
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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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Zola Electric Closes $90 Million Funding Round To Scale Technology and Enter New Markets
Zola Electric, one such provider, is announcing today that it has closed $90 million in new funding to enter new markets and drive distributed renewable energy.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Analysis: Governments Must Prioritise Off-Grid Energy in Africa’s Economic Recovery
The pandemic has exacerbated some hard truths about the inequality of energy access, with those lacking it hit hardest - but we have the tools to end energy poverty now.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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It’s Time for More Open Source in Energy Access. Here’s Why.
What needs to happen to achieve global access to energy by 2030? Tamara Mahoney of EnAccess spent several years talking to energy access innovators about the best way to move the sector forward, and a common viewpoint emerged from those conversations: An open-source approach is necessary to achieve universal energy access. She explains why this model is both effective and inevitable, and discusses EnAccess' efforts to support new technologies, business models and knowledge in energy access by funding and sharing open-source tools and innovations.
- Categories
- Energy
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African Development Bank’s Off-Grid Recovery Platform for COVID-19 Reaches Financial Close
The African Development Bank has reached a financial close on financing agreements for a $20 million concessional investment from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa for the COVID-19 Off-Grid Recovery Platform.
- Categories
- Coronavirus, Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Inaccurate Solar Production Estimates Impact All Players in the African Power Value Chain
CrossBoundary Energy has released a report, Measuring Solar Irradiation in Africa: A case for change which shows how the biases in the estimation of solar production in Africa can lead to reduction in savings for African businesses.
- Categories
- Energy, Impact Assessment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Bboxx To Bring Clean Energy to 2 Million People in Burkina Faso With Geocoton Advens Group Joint Venture
Bboxx, a next generation utility, is partnering via a first-of-a-kind joint venture with Geocoton Advens Group as part of Bboxx’s market entry into Burkina Faso.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa