Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda – exploring what’s needed to deliver a low-carbon energy access in three markets

Published on

Today we launch our latest research at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, looking at what is needed to deliver a low-carbon universal energy access in three key markets – Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda – and highlighting potentially disruptive ‘game-changers’ for each market. The country deep dives represent the third phase of the research, conducted by…

Why Odyssey’s acquisition of Ferntech is a positive indicator for the mini-grid sector 

Published on

SF partner Odyssey Energy Solutions recently announced its acquisition of the remote monitoring and control technology, Ferntech. This development will allow Odyssey to expand its service offering and provide multiple stakeholders with a more comprehensive asset management platform to scale investment in the renewable mini-grid sector.  Co-created by SF and Factor[e] in 2017 and co-funded with UK aid and USAID, Odyssey has successfully built the mini-grid sector’s only…

Sector voices praise $55m loan programme supporting Indian agriculture enterprises

Published on

The “India Covid Response Programme for Agriculture Transition” was formally launched last week with more than 400 people attending a virtual event.  The work done by all the programme partners to get the facility over the line was acknowledged and there were insights on the tremendous impact this Programme will have on lending for clean…

BURN Manufacturing

Published on

KEY FACTS Over a million energy efficient stoves sold, saving >8m tonnes of CO2 emissions and >4.5m tonnes of wood Impacted over 6 million lives and generated more than $350m in household savings with an NPS of 98% Created local employment for 400+ people since 2013 Founded in 2011, BURN is a vertically integrated modern…

UOMA report highlights Uganda’s $95m electrification funding gap

Published on

    The Uganda Off-Grid Energy Market Accelerator (UOMA) recently released a report examining the demand-side barriers to financing for off-grid solar businesses. Though it is well recognised that off-grid solar will play a major role in closing Uganda’s current electrification gap, a significant funding shortfall threatens the country’s efforts. It has been estimated that…

Persistent reflects on 10 years building energy access ventures

Published on

In the 10 years since its founding, Persistent has built a venture building model that has invested in businesses providing PAYGO solar home systems as well as commercial and industrial solar, ecosystem enablers and e-mobility players, delivering financial returns and significant impact, improving more than four million lives across sub-Saharan Africa.   Shell Foundation has…

Five Grantees Announced for Health Electrification Pilot Programme

Published on

Five mini-grid developers have been selected as part of a pilot programme to test and measure innovative financing mechanisms that can help scale electrification of health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa. Having invited applications to the programme in March, 25 applications were received and evaluated against five criteria: (1)  prior experience implementing and maintaining similar projects…

Equatorial Power

Published on

KEY FACTS 1 MW of clean energy installed in four countries Over 5,300 households connected; 500 business powered 1 interconnected multi micro grid; 1 grid integration project Equatorial Power(EP) provides reliable and affordable access to energy to underserved communities via solar mini-grid, whilst also delivering water processing via an integrated reverse osmosis filtration system. EP…

Do SHS channels hold the key to domestic refrigeration for off-grid customers?

Published on

SureChill recently concluded a successful sales pilot of off-grid domestic refrigerators with interesting insights into key triggers and barriers to purchasing decisions. SureChill was founded in 2009 to commercialise a newly patented thermal energy storage technology deemed capable of bringing reliable refrigeration to off-grid and unreliable grid communities. Having initially focused on developing and marketing…

Improving Women’s Productivity and Incomes Through Clean Energy in India

Published on

As part of the POWERED programme, co- funded with UK aid from the UK government, SF is supporting the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) to integrate technical and financial assistance towards gender-inclusion in India.  This study overview appeared originally on CEEW’s website. Overview The study discusses the barriers faced by women micro-entrepreneurs, who are using…