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SIDBI and Shell Foundation Launch US $3.1 Million Initiative to Expand Access to Green Finance for Nano-Entrepreneurs
Backed by a $3.1 million grant from Shell Foundation, the EN-Trans RSF provides a second-loss risk coverage to Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs), including SIDBI as a lender, for loans extended to low-income communities.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Poor Battery Recycling Drives Lead Poisoning Risks in Africa’s Solar Energy Boom
Lead-acid batteries are widely used in many low-income markets because they are cheaper than alternatives like lithium-ion batteries, but safely recycling them requires costly infrastructure that is often lacking.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care, WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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SolarAid CEO John Keane is Stepping Down
SolarAid today announced that its Chief Executive Officer, John Keane, has decided to step down from his role in June
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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responsAbility Invests Up to USD $15 Million in South East Asia’s Skye Renewables
With this funding, Skye Renewables plans to scale its project portfolio in Southeast Asia, aiming to increase its installed capacity to several hundred MWp within five years.
- Region
- South Asia
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Farming Under Solar: How Agriphotovoltaics Can Transform Rural Livelihoods in India
As India scales up solar energy, a critical question has emerged: Can this transition deliver clean power without displacing farmers from their land? According to Laxmi Sharma, Bidisha Banerjee, Subhodeep Basu and Ashok Gulati at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, the country's renewable energy expansion has been led by large, ground-mounted solar projects, often located on agricultural land. But while this model has been effective in scaling solar capacity, it has also created a disconnect between the energy and agriculture sectors, while limiting participation among farmers. They explore how agriphotovoltaics (Agri-PV) can address these issues by enabling the cultivation of crops beneath or between panel arrays, and discuss the pros and cons of different Agri-PV operating models.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy
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Accelerating Climate-Health: How the Sector Can Become Africa’s Next Strategic Investment Frontier
Africa faces a growing dual challenge at the critical nexus of climate and healthcare, as countries and health systems that are already strained by chronic underinvestment must now also deal with climate-related shocks and disease burdens. As Rajat Chabba at the William Davidson Institute and Martin Slawek at Open Capital Advisors explain, without targeted investment in integrated climate-health solutions, these health systems risk becoming overwhelmed, undermining public health and climate resilience across the region. But they also argue that these pressures create a clear opportunity for investors, businesses, and public and development-sector players. They explore why climate-health presents a compelling investment case in Africa.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Health Care, Investing
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China Set to Cut Solar Incentives for Africa Days After Elon Musk Negotiates $2.9 Billion Chinese Solar Equipment Deal for Tesla
Africa’s solar expansion could face new cost pressures as China moves to scale back key export incentives, just as global demand surges following Elon Musk’s $2.9 billion push into Chinese solar supply chains.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Africa Emerges as World Fastest-Growing Solar Market in 2025 – Report
Africa’s solar adoption is gradually becoming mainstream market.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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