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Productive Use Has Challenges: What’s Holding the Sector Back — And How Companies and Investors Should Respond
Productive use of renewable energy (PURE) technologies such as solar irrigation, cold storage and agro-processing can have a transformative impact in Africa and other emerging markets. But though the potential of these technologies is undeniable, the scale isn’t. As Daniel Waldron, Chris Emmott and Kristi Chon at Acumen, and Duda Slawek at Open Capital explain, few agricultural companies are delivering PURE solutions, and fewer still are growing fast enough to meet the scope of the problems they are trying to solve. They share new research and analysis that illuminate the challenges that are holding the sector back, and propose three ways forward.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology
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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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Press Release: Agros Secures USD 2 Million from EDFI ElectriFI to Expand Solar-Powered Irrigation for Farmers in Southeast Asia
The financing will support Agros’ expansion in Indonesia and Cambodia and scale its “Pay-after-Harvest” model, enabling farmers to invest in high-quality solar water pump systems with flexible payment terms.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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Solar-Powered Cold Storage Empowers Smallholder Farmers in India
In Andhra Pradesh and beyond, farmers are adopting solar-powered cold storage systems to help prevent post-harvest losses, reduce transportation costs through on-site storage, and improve incomes.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Financing Off-Grid Solar: A Pioneering Provider in Honduras Shows the Impact of Diversified Funding
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and many of its most remote regions remain unserved by the electricity grid. Richenda Van Leeuwen at Hummingbird Green Solutions and Richard Stuebi and Jesse Colman at Boston University explore how Soluz Honduras is bringing freezers and other solar products to these markets by leveraging a variety of different financing models — an approach that shows how diversified funding can enable businesses to serve even the hardest-to-reach areas and the poorest of customers.
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ADB Approves $460 Million Loan to Support Agricultural Solarization in India
The Maharashtra Power Distribution Enhancement Program for Agricultural Solarization aligns with the state’s Power Sector Vision 2030, which seeks to accelerate renewable energy adoption, improve rural energy access, and strengthen the financial sustainability of the power sector.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Technology
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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P4G Awards $3.8 Million to 14 Climate Startups Driving Green Innovation in Emerging Markets
This funding will help these early-stage businesses grow breakthrough solutions making them investment-ready to accelerate green growth in emerging markets.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Technology
- Region
- Global
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SunCulture and Bridgin To Launch 15 Million USD Structure to Finance Climate-Smart Agriculture in Kenya
Through this partnership, Bridgin will finance portfolios of SunCulture’s farmer receivables, allowing the company to reach more customers while de-risking its balance sheet and reinvesting in scale.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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