Focus Area: Access to Energy

Partnering to build Malawi’s premier PAYGo solar company

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Supporting early-stage innovators to develop income-generating energy technologies is at the core of Shell Foundation’s strategy. Alongside the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, through the TIME partnership, we have been supporting VentureBuilder since 2019.   Benefits of in country knowledge VentureBuilder looks to support African-owned and managed off-grid solar distribution businesses. These enterprises know their…

How a swappable battery network can support and extend grid infrastructure 

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A swappable battery network has promising potential to transform how renewable electricity is generated, distributed and consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. Shell Foundation’s partner, Kofa Holdings, has produced a white paper outlining the potential benefits.  Benefits to the customer  With funding and support from Shell Foundation and the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, through their…

Three takeaways from New York Climate Week

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Last week, a delegation of six Shell Foundation staff attended New York Climate Week. The goals of the team were to understand current trends, opportunities and challenges in steering international finance into emerging markets. Through a series of events, group and 1-to-1 meetings with aligned organisations, the team were able to progress several conversations that…

Addressing India’s Energy Trilemma with Productive-use DRE

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Addressing the energy trilemma of security, affordability and sustainability remains critical for India’s green development. A potential solution could be the use of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) approaches which tend to make use of renewable energy sources, such as biomass and solar. Shell Foundation portfolio partner S4S Technologies supports women entrepreneurs to convert farm losses…

Investing in solutions for women and marginalised groups becomes a key strategic priority for next five years

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Over several years, Shell Foundation has built a track record of building innovative approaches to incorporate a gender-inclusive lens in the distributed renewable energy sector.  We want to see a future where the energy transition is just, inclusive, and equitable – leaving no-one behind. We believe this makes businesses and our global society stronger. Women…

Understanding the Impact of Electric Pressure Cookers in East Africa

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It is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa, women spend three times longer than men on daily household tasks such as cooking.  This gives them little time to spend on paid work or education. These women, if empowered, could really make a difference to their local communities, but instead seem destined to spend most of their…

AdOpes Ltd Kenya

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KEY FACTS For smallholder farmers and micro enterprises in the agriculture sector in East Africa, productive assets are an instrument to professionalise/mechanise their farming activities, increase & diversify their income streams and grow their net worth. AdOpes has a microleasing platform that enables access to these assets. It consists of the microleases which have been…

Exploring the opportunities and impact of sustainable batteries in East Africa

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Although battery usage across Africa has been increasing in recent years and has contributed significantly to the rise of electricity access in Africa from 25% to 47% of the population, key challenges still need to be addressed in order to serve the remaining 600 million people who lack access to electricity. The high cost of…

Kofa’s multi-purpose battery tech is increasing transporter and business productivity across Africa

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Shell Foundation partner Kofa’s multi-purpose battery network has recently featured in articles in both CleanTechnica and Medium demonstrating how urban transporters and micro-entrepreneurs across Africa can lower costs and increase productivity through access to  clean energy tech. Based in Ghana – with funding from SF and UK Aid from the UK government under its Transforming…

How Solar-Assisted Electric Boats Can Empower Fishing Livelihoods

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Eighty percent of the fisherfolk on the coast of Kochi in Kerala, India use motorised boats.  But the fuel, maintenance and repair costs are cutting into the income of the community and contributing to a large amount of carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Despite having the highest net operating income among the coastal states, Kerala…