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Phones4Power: Using Mobile Phones to Run Micro-Grids in Africa
Kenya-based business SteamaCo is harnessing the power of mobile to bring affordable electricity access to rural, off-grid communities. SteamaCo’s smart technology allows solar micro-grid owners to monitor their performance remotely and capture consumer payments via mobile money platforms, thereby overcoming the traditional challenges of keeping grids working reliably and profitably.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
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Why we’re building an investment fund to back solar energy in Africa
The near-trillion dollar question is: what kind of power infrastructure should Africa build? Should it replicate the large-scale electricity grids of the developed world, or is there a shorter path to electrifying Africa?
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Simpa Networks Gets Renewable Energy OPIC Impact Award
The energy-poor tend to be among the poorest people in their countries and cannot afford the high upfront costs of a quality solar solution. About 400 million people in India live in remote villages and don’t have access to an electricity grid. Millions more have only very limited access to electricity. Although distributed solar based solutions are available, high up front costs keep them out of reach from many who have limited income and cannot obtain bank financing.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
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Priority Status for Solar Power Will Aid Smaller Players
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently revised its priority sector lending (PSL) guidelines. Now medium enterprises, social infrastructure and renewable energy (RE) will form part of priority sector, in addition to the existing categories. This has brought excitement to the stake-holders.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- lending, renewable energy, solar
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Goodbye, Kerosene: How Solar Could Transform Africa
Africa is in the midst of a technological revolution, and it's increasingly solar powered.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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GoSun Grill: The Only Solar Cooker That Cooks Day or Night
Earlier this year, we featured the GoSun Stove, a compact fuel-free cooker powered by nothing more than the sun’s rays. Now, the forward-thinking company is trying to launch their GoSun Grill—a larger and perhaps improved version of the cooker since it feeds many more people.
- Categories
- Energy, Health Care
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
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Solar Crowdfunding: In Need Of A Kickstart
Solar power is going intergalactic. In an announcement late last month, SolarCity SCTY +1.77%, the country’s largest installer of rooftop solar arrays, announced that private space company SpaceX had scooped up $90 million of its corporate bonds.
- Categories
- Energy
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Twitter Top Ten
A new treasure trove of financial inclusion data.
A significant milestone for the B Corp movement.
And to coincide with tax day in the U.S., a handy guide on where to donate - and a thought-provoking post on the surprising way America’s tax system benefits the poor. These are just a few of the highlights of this week’s Twitter Top 10.- Categories
- Education, Energy, Environment, Health Care, Impact Assessment