d.light

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Key Facts Improved more than 100m livelihoods around the world $4.1bn saved in energy-related expenses 23m tonnes of carbon emissions reduced d.light designs and manufactures a range of affordable solar energy products, and uses innovative distribution models to reach low-income consumers and businesses throughout the world. d.light offers a suite of affordable solar products, from…

Enable.digital

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Key Facts Provided IT solutions to 18+ early stage companies serving over 130,000 households and small businesses Enabled the largest micro-grid in Nigeria with online contracting system Enable.digital is an IT solutions firm that provides technology/product agnostic IT strategy and implementation to social enterprises working throughout Africa. They help social enterprises and SMEs to select…

The DRC – the best PAYG solar market in the world?

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The Democratic Republic of Congo represents one of the most challenging frontier markets to work in, with no or poor access to energy. In August 2017, we supported UK company Bboxx, alongside the UK Government, USAID and Power Africa, to pilot their off grid solution in the city of Goma, on the eastern border of the…

How innovations in technology are delivering impact in emerging markets

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Two recent additions to the SF portfolio are using innovative technology and business models to deliver increased and improved access to energy in Africa, including into some new and challenging markets. SF is supporting BBOXX and Aceleron as part of our strategic partnerships with the UK Government and USAID, which aim to create and scale…

M-KOPA Labs off-grid R&D brings whole new grid classifications

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Shell Foundation has supported M-KOPA since 2011 to establish its solar and mobile technology solution and to provide affordable, clean and bright energy to off-grid villages in East Africa. In 2016, M-KOPA Labs was established to accelerate the company’s ability to produce innovative, larger capacity appliances capable of interfacing with off-grid energy. In developing new…

Building a female-led sales force

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The Envirofit Women’s Empowerment Programme (WEP) was founded on the belief that women, as primary users of cookstoves, must be involved in both their design and distribution in order for stoves to be adopted and for women’s needs to be fully met. The WEP was first developed and funded in conjunction with the Global Alliance…

SmartGas™ Pilot: an Envirofit case study

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Nearly half the world’s population cooks with biomass. Open fire cooking represents the world’s largest environmental public health challenge contributing to climate change, deforestation, disability and mortality, while keeping families in the cycle of poverty to collect or purchase fuel for daily cooking. Household Air Pollution from open cooking fires kills 4.3 million people a…

Enterprise solutions to 2030

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When Shell Foundation was created in 2000, we set out to test a theory, largely unproven at the time, that market forces could be directed to deliver lasting socio-economic, health and environmental value to low-income communities – and that eradicating many of the world’s most entrenched development challenges could be financed predominantly from private capital.…

Accelerating access to energy

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Nearly two billion people lack access to reliable and affordable modern energy – severely constraining their health, education and earning potential. Of this group, 60% live entirely without electricity for cooking, lighting and heating at home, for community services, or for improving the productivity of small businesses and farms. Accelerating Access to Energy outlines our…

Social marketing in India

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Social Marketing in India captures our experiences, both good and bad, over several years of running social marketing campaigns to drive adoption of improved cookstoves; and the broader lessons we have drawn for marketing social-impact products more generally. Download the report (pdf, 2.6mb)