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Bloomberg invests $5 million in portable solar-powered lamp for off-grid African populations
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's foundation has announced a $5 million investment in an artsy-looking solar-powered lamp designed for use in off-grid populations in Africa.
- Categories
- Energy
- Tags
- solar
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Weekly Roundup – The Indispensable Platform: The growing importance of mobile access to businesses that serve the poor
With over 50 percent of people in the developing world having access to a cell phone, mobile access has become an indispensable platform for businesses and services focused on the BoP. We discuss its impact and potential in this week’s Roundup.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Impact Assessment, Technology, Telecommunications
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Lease-to-Own Energy: Part 3 of our Digital Finance Plus series explores how mobile money is enabling affordable off-grid solar energy solutions
With 1.3 billion living without electricity worldwide, the need for off-grid energy solutions is massive. In Part 3 of our Digital Finance Plus series, Peter Glenn of Fenix International describes how the company uses mobile finance to provide an innovative payment plan that helps make solar energy affordable to people in emerging markets.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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Off Grid Electric gets $7M to ‘light Africa in a decade’
Why do more people live without electricity today than when Edison turned on the first light bulb?For as long as he can remember, Xavier Helgesen has been fascinated with this question. And today, he landed $7 million in financing for his Arusha, Tanzania-based venture, Off Grid Electric, which provides solar energy to people in emerging nations.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- impact investing, solar
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How Crowdfunding Solar Power is Democratizing the Way we Finance Clean Energy
Crowdfunding campaigns for solar power are gaining traction. Pioneering startups like Mosaic are changing how we finance renewable energy.
- Categories
- Energy
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Uganda’s Newest Utility: Pay-as-you-go Solar Power
In Uganda, telecom provider MTN and a company called Fenix are gearing up this year for a nationwide rollout of pre-paid electricity, similar to pre-paid airtime, but using solar kits. Uganda has one of the lowest electrification rates in Africa - a continent where some 600 million people are off the power grid.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
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Google and SolarAid partner to explore impact of solar technology on poverty alleviation in Africa
February 2014: Today Google has announced their continued support of international development charity SolarAid and their work distributing solar lights in rural Africa, by funding a two year evaluation on the impact of solar lights on poverty alleviation.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Tags
- poverty alleviation, solar
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A Crowdfunding Site For High-Impact Solar Projects
Lack of access to financing can keep many otherwise worthy solar energy projects from being built in poor and underserved areas, but a solar crowdfunding site is helping to connect individual investors with solar energy businesses and working to bring affordable solar energy to communities around the world.
- Categories
- Energy
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