-
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
-
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. (In celebration of our 20th anniversary, NextBillion is highlighting key articles from our decades of coverage of different sectors on our homepage below, with a current focus on energy.)
-
Pay-As-You-Go Solar Kit Sales Surge 54% in Sub-Saharan Africa in H1 2025
The report shows that PAYGo sales, where customers purchase solar kits in installments, surpassed cash sales for the first time since 2018.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
How Pacific Nations Plan to Go From Spending up to 25% of GDP on Fossil Fuels to Running on 100% Renewables
Leaders will formally release a renewable roadmap next week at the COP30 climate conference in Brazil.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Latin America
-
From Energy Access to Economic Empowerment: Workable Models for Financing a Just Transition in Emerging Markets
Today 2.1 billion people live without clean cooking fuels and technologies, and over 660 million people lack electricity access. Yet as Anthony Osijo at Bboxx points out, as global conversations largely focus on decarbonizing energy resources to combat climate change, these millions of households still cannot access essential products and services the rest of the world takes for granted. He argues that emerging markets can't simply be left in the dark because their kerosene lamps and diesel generators aren’t environmentally viable, especially if they lack access to suitable alternatives. He explores ways to finance and deliver a just climate transition — while also eradicating energy poverty.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
-
BII Agrees $75 Million Financing for Asia-Focused Renewables Firm Blueleaf Energy
The company is developing solar and wind projects in the fast-expanding Indian market, and plans to expand its operations across Asia.
- Region
- Asia Pacific
-
Turning Failure into Fuel: An Emerging Learning Platform Aims to Bring the Hidden Challenges in Humanitarian Energy to Light
The humanitarian energy sector is eager to learn from success. But according to clean cooking and energy access researchers Nazifa Rafa, Tash Perros, Iwona Bisaga and Ronan Ferguson, its failures are usually buried in reports or quietly brushed aside, and there's often a disconnect between what’s documented in impact reports and what practitioners experience on the ground. They argue that this dynamic is unsustainable in a sector with high risks, urgent needs and shrinking funding. In response, they share an emerging solution: the Humanitarian Energy Learning Platform, a centralized, inter-donor learning system designed to highlight what’s going wrong in humanitarian energy access, and how practitioners can systematically learn from it.
- Categories
- Energy
-
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
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.