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Press release: The Renewable Power of the Mine
As renewable power integration in the mining sector gathers pace, a Columbia University study identifies financing and conflicting interests among different stakeholders as the remaining biggest roadblocks to wide-spread uptake.
- Categories
- Energy
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Sustainable Connectivity: How Biofuels Can Boost Mobile Access, Support Small Farmers – And Fight Climate Change
Mobile connectivity is sweeping through rural Africa and Asia – but it has a major drawback. It’s dependent on cellular towers that often rely either on diesel power, which has economic and ecological costs and limited availability, or solar panels, which require clear, sunny skies. Fortunately, another solution is emerging: bioenergy. John Garrity, Dennis Garrity and James Daniel at the Evergreening Global Alliance explore its positive impact on food security, grid infrastructure and global climate change.
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- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Technology, Telecommunications
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Press release: BBOXX lands USD 31 million deal with Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers
The deal with AIIM – Africa’s largest and most experienced infrastructure-focused private equity fund manager and a member of Old Mutual Alternative Investments with USD 2.1 billion AUM – will allow BBOXX to install two million solar systems by 2022, bringing electricity to 10 million people in these African countries.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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A Clean Alternative to Fossil Fuels: Could This New Renewable Energy Source Help Solve Climate Change?
The need for climate change solutions is becoming more urgent by the day. But as the recent riots in Paris demonstrated, the public often has limited patience with carbon taxes. What’s needed, says Audun Sommerli Time at NextFuel AB, is a fuel source that can be used in the world’s existing energy infrastructure, without adding CO2 to the atmosphere. NextFuel has developed such a product: A renewable, carbon-negative fuel that’s both affordable and compatible with fossil fuel-based energy plants. He explains why it represents “the world’s best hope for addressing climate change.”
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- Energy
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India cancels plans for huge coal power stations as solar energy prices hit record low
Analyst Tim Buckley said the shift away from the dirtiest fossil fuel and towards solar in India would have “profound” implications on global energy markets.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- renewable energy
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What Was the Top NextBillion Post of 2018? Vote for Your Favorite
As 2018 comes to a close and we look back at the year's top posts, it's clear that the social sector is developing an increasingly willingness to challenge long-held assumptions – even when this leads to uncomfortable discussions and difficult course corrections. As NextBillion launches our seventh annual "Top Post of the Year" contest, we encourage you to vote for the post that influenced you most in 2018. You can vote up to once every six hours until 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (U.S.) on Jan. 3, and the winners will be announced on Jan. 4. Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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Power Problem in a Changing Climate: The Renewable Energy Movement is Shortchanging Women and the Poor
What happens when a movement that aims to correct a global power imbalance develops an imbalance of its own? That’s the question facing renewable energy, says Solar Sister co-founder Neha Misra – a sector dominated by “largely white, often male, founder companies with Western expatriate leadership,” in which organizations with a social focus are sidelined by investors seeking quick profits. Misra discusses these and other uncomfortable truths – and why the movement must address them.
- Categories
- Energy, Social Enterprise
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PayGo vs. MFIs: What Works Better for Energy Access Consumer Financing – And Does it Have to Be Either/Or?
Many last-mile customers can’t afford clean energy products without financial solutions to help pay for them. Energy enterprises often meet this need in two different ways: by partnering with microfinance institutions (MFIs) to provide loans to customers, or by offering pay-as-you-go (PayGo) financing options. The United Nations Capital Development Fund’s CleanStart program has supported energy providers using both of these models, and Teresa Le, an energy finance consultant at the program, explores their relative merits and challenges.