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Report: Solar Boosting Economic Prospects for Rural East Africans
New report from GOGLA, the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry, shows an overwhelming majority (94%) of people living with off-grid solar home systems reporting improvements to their quality of life
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Global Renewable Energy Initiative Aims to Bring a Billion People in From the Dark
Worldwide commission aims to end energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia by driving investment in new technology.
- Categories
- Energy
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Viewpoint: The Energy Transformation Is Not Happening Fast Enough
Climate finance as promised at the 2015 Paris meeting could have helped to avoid the recent construction of many new coal-fired power plants in Asia and Africa, which will be adding to the legacy of our industrial era for decades to come. But alas, as economic nationalism and ethnic chauvinism have taken roots, the willingness for international cooperation has dwindled, and with it the willingness to cooperate.
- Categories
- Energy
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The Land of Opportunity for Off-Grid Solar
Consolidation is picking up in Africa’s off-grid renewables market, where big investors like Engie are betting on the electricity consumers of the future.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: Pan-African Micro-Utility PowerGen Acquires Rafiki Power (E.ON Off-Grid Solutions) From E.ON
The combination of two market-leading micro-grid companies reflects growing momentum in the sector.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Solar, Expanded: Building the Future of Utilities in Bangladesh
Imagine a network of homes – some with solar panels, some without – buying and selling renewable power in small, on-demand increments. “Swarm electrification,” as it’s known, is no longer imaginary, but a peer-to-peer system many entrepreneurs and utilities are exploring, including the Bangladeshi startup SOLshare. Tatiana Bessarabova at Endeva explains why SOLshare’s “prosumer” model, and a project to expand it, could be the future of utilities around the world.
- Categories
- Energy
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Low Energy Consumption = Unprofitable Mini-Grids. Is Appliance Financing the Answer?
Over 600 million Africans live without electricity, and mini-grids are a cheap solution to bring power to at least 100 million of them. But the mini-grid business model is not yet sustainable. This is due in part to low levels of energy consumption by rural customers, who often can't afford the high upfront costs of appliances that would increase their energy usage. Analysts at CrossBoundary explore new research on whether offering financing for household appliances can help overcome this barrier.
- Categories
- Energy
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Africa Is Awash In Sunshine – Energy That Will Help Empower The Continent
“Africa is not burdened with telecom lines and as a result, it went straight to mobile communications,” says Chris Kemper, chief executive of Palmetto, a clean energy and social-impact company, in a talk with this writer. “The same thing can be said for clean energy and clean technology.”
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- renewable energy