Theme: Energy for Business

Shell Foundation and FMO Collaborate to Help Achieve Clean Energy Access in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Press Release: Announcing the launch of the US$120 million Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund to provide affordable access to energy for homes and businesses Amsterdam, Netherlands – December 5, 2019 Shell Foundation, a UK-registered charity, together with FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, announces the launch of the US$120 million Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund (EEGF), with…

Accelerating access to local currency debt finance for SHS businesses in Uganda

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It is estimated that US$800 million in debt will need to be invested in solar home system (SHS) businesses in Uganda to achieve universal energy access (SDG7). For the long-term sustainability of the off-grid solar sector, there is a need for local banks and financial institutions to recognise this opportunity and play a central role in…

How do you really know what your customer wants? M-KOPA Lab’s journey in launching a pay-as-you-go fridge

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It’s possible to “design things right” and yet not “design the right things”. In a short report, M-KOPA Labs shares lessons learnt from developing its solar-powered PAYG Fridge and how its customers helped M-KOPA Labs to get the product “right”. Download the full report Everyone wants a fridge, right? Market surveys regularly record refrigerators in the…

SF and UK Government launch new £30m partnership to increase energy access for smallholder farmers

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Globally an estimated 1.5 billion people live in smallholder households. In Asia and sub-Saharan Africa smallholder farmers produce up to 80% of the food consumed. As a group, however, smallholder farmers are among some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in the world – struggling with food security, energy availability, market access, training and climate…

Productive use of off-grid energy: The business case in Uganda’s dairy value chain

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Off-grid energy solutions continue to take hold in Uganda, though 30% of the population is still expected to lack access to electricity by 2030. Affordability remains a challenge to the uptake of off-grid energy. Increased ‘productive use’ of energy has the potential to increase productivity and income, thereby driving further uptake in off-grid energy. These…

“POWERED” enterprise bringing clean tech to Indian agriculture

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The POWERED accelerator programme is part of the wider POWERED programme launched by Shell Foundation, the UK Government and DST Government of India in 2017. The accelerator programme supports social enterprises to expand their businesses and, by doing so, increases economic empowerment of women-owned businesses in the Indian energy space. This learning report was produced…

Building Productive Use Biogas Appliances

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How does productive use biogas appliance innovation contribute to increased energy access, to rural livelihoods and to the development of biogas as a utility? Smallholder farmers are among some of the most disadvantaged people in the developing world, without access to technology, training and financing to improve productivity. There are an estimated 570 million smallholder…

Harvesting energy means breaking down silos

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by Seth Silverman and Morgan DeFoort, Factor[e] Ventures Smallholder farmers are among the most underserved populations in the world – and there are a lot of them. Over 2 billion livelihoods are supported by small farms, with the majority residing in the developing world [1]. We know that smallholders can be more productive and can…

Ashden Awards 2019 recognises two Shell Foundation Partners

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SF partners Sistema.bio and SMV Green have both been recognised by the prestigious Ashden Awards 2019. Sistema.bio was presented with the Clean Cooking Award for its work to bring clean biogas to farmers in Latin America, Africa and India.  Its innovative and affordable biogas system turns animal waste into clean and odourless cooking fuel whilst producing…