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Rwanda: Phone Charging Made Simple
Rwanda's Henri Nyakarundi founded African Renewable Energy Distributor (ARED) to give renewable energy solutions to the public and private sectors in his home country Rwanda after failing to find a place to charge his phone from. However, he never imagined that his idea would ever cross the border.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Weekly Roundup – 12-14-13: Is wishful thinking sustaining or stopping global development?
In this week’s roundup, a $64 million (plus) year for off-grid solar investments in developing markets, the inspirational story behind Doorways to Dreams, and The New Republic essay that wants to put an end to wishful (scalable) thinking in development.
- Categories
- Energy
- Tags
- impact investing, savings, solar
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Off-Grid Solar Companies Closed $64M in 2014: The Start of a Bigger Trend?
Early-stage investments in off-grid solar companies operating in developing countries reached $63.9 million in 2014, according to a tally from Greentech Media.
- Categories
- Energy, Impact Assessment
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Dubai-Based Social Enterprise Shines Bright For Africa
It started with a plea to help 60,000 orphans in the company’s care.The children, who were being looked after in Zimbabwean orphanages set up by the telecoms operator Econet Wireless, could not study at night because there was no power and lighting, and many were getting sick from breathing in the chemicals emitted from candles.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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SunFunder Completes New Round Of Funding
SunFunder, the US crowdfunding company dedicated to funding off-grid solar projects in developing countries, announced Wednesday that it had completed its Series A equity round of funding, raising $2.5 million. The announcement came following investments from Schneider Electric, Better Ventures, and a private family foundation based in Palo Alto. This latest announcement follows on from an original Series A investment made by Khosla Impact and a group of existing angel investors.
- Tags
- crowdfunding, solar, venture capital
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Bangladesh installs 3 million residential solar systems
Bangladesh’s Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (Idcol) last week marked the installation of 3 million residential solar systems in the country.According to Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, the 3 million systems installed under the Idcol program in off-grid areas have a combined capacity of 135 MW.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- solar
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This backpack designed for poor kids does so much more than carry books
South Africans Thato Kgatlhanye and Rea Ngwane are co-founders of the business Rethaka. Their brand of Repurposed Schoolbags are made from recycled and reinforced plastic shopping bags. Recipients are all poor. But it’s so much more than a bag. Because the kids often live in shacks and remote areas with no electricity, Repurposed Schoolbags are built with some other smart features. On the outside of the flap is a pocket for a solar panel, which charges on the long walk to and from school.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- solar
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WakaWaka Power gets a big brother with the new solar-powered ‘first aid kit’
This solar gadget innovator is back with a new model, the WakaWaka Base, which includes either a 5,000 or 10,000 mAh battery pack, and the device is designed to be charged with the company's 7.5 or 10 watt portable solar panel. Along with the solar panel and battery pack module, WakaWaka is also offering two small LED lamps, one of which is powered by plugging it into the Base, and one which has an internal battery that can be recharged via the panel and battery pack.
- Categories
- Energy
- Tags
- solar