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Renewable Energy Developments

Renewable energy solutions continue to contribute to solving the world’s energy crisis. Below are recent articles highlighting recent news and developments in the space.

Renewable Energy Capacity Grows at Fastest Ever Pace Terry Macalister on The Guardian

A recent report by the International Energy Agency revealed that renewable power capacity grew at its strongest ever pace last year and now produces 22% of the world’s electricity. More than $250 billion was invested in “green” generating … read more

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Education, Energy, and the Digital Divide in Africa

“While education unlocks the door to development, increasingly it is information technologies that can unlock the door to education”- Kofi Anaan, 2003

It’s widely accepted that technology has improved education in many ways: more efficient communication, better story telling, more accurate assessment, comprehensive access to information and research, just to name a few. Unfortunately, technology has also widened the education gap between affluent and impoverished schools. Education technology (EdTech) tools are often expensive, energy thirsty, … read more

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Beyond the Grid at Invested Development

On Tuesday, the Obama Administration announced Beyond the Grid: a framework within the Power Africa initiative created to catalyze private investment in distributed energy solutions for the 240 million people living without household electricity in six targeted Sub-Saharan African nations. We are proud to be one of the 27 founding partners who have committed to investment of over $1 billion over the next five years.

Beyond the Grid has set a lofty goal that … read more

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Power Africa’s Beyond the Grid Increasing Access through Small- Scale Energy Solutions

Power Africa’s Beyond the Grid Increasing Access through Small- Scale Energy Solutions
Beyond the Grid Framework to Build on Power Africa Initiative Progress

Today, the U.S. Government is formally launching an innovative framework under President Obama’s Power Africa initiative to increase energy access for underserved populations across sub-Saharan Africa. Over an initial five year period, Beyond the Grid will leverage partnerships with 27 investors and practitioners committing to invest over $1 billion into off-grid and … read more

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Momentum in the Solar Energy Sector

Solar energy is one of the biggest potential sources for decentralized energy. Check out news from the last few weeks on the latest news in the solar industry.

Nebo Suggests Adoption Of Solar Energy By Africa on Leadership Newspaper

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, recently suggested that African countries should embrace solar energy as a major form of power generation for the continent. He cited the expansive solar resources that Africa holds and … read more

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Impact Investing in Alternative Energy Enterprises

With our vested interest in alternative energy and emerging markets, we are always excited to see startups in and out of the portfolio recognized for their efforts, whether that’s through finding an investor match of simply receiving credit on well-respected publications. Below are some of the exciting developments in the alternative energy startup space over the past few weeks.

Ghana-Based Renewable Energy Startup Acquired in an Estimated 7-Figure Deal by Shea Gunther on Mother Nature … read more

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Wind Energy Advancements

Wind energy has been used for centuries to move ships, pump water, and grind grain. It’s now one of the most cost-effective sources of new generation, competing with new installations of coal, gas and nuclear power. We are always looking for innovative technologies that can resolve the energy access gap.

Wind power seen generating up to 18% of global power by 2050 on International Energy Agency
By 2050, wind power could generate up to 18% … read more

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Clean Energy Advancements

This week we focused our reading on the benefits and use of clean energy. By 2030, the United Nations aims to double energy efficiency and renewable energy worldwide and declared this decade one of Sustainable Energy For All. Over 1.4 billion people lack access to basic electricity, 95% of which live in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. We are always looking for innovative technologies that can resolve the energy access gap.

Solving Energy Poverty With Solar … read more

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Invested Development Invests in Growing Energy Labs, Inc. (GELI) to Move the Networked Energy Storage Industry Forward

Invested Development Invests in Growing Energy Labs, Inc. (GELI) to Move the Networked Energy Storage Industry Forward  
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2013

Boston, MA & San Francisco, CA – Invested Development (ID), a seed-stage investment fund manager, has invested in Growing Energy Labs, Inc. (GELI), an innovative startup developing software for energy storage. GELI’s software integrates, networks, and economically operates energy storage, dramatically increasing the opportunity to bring alternative energy solutions mainstream.

GELI’s Energy … read more

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Renewable Energy Technology

We are always looking out for our next investments for the BSP Fund. Here are some of the stories that caught our attention in the renewable energy field this week.

The green transformation is under way by Thomas Kerr and Brindusa Fidanza on World Economic Forum

Resource scarcity and climate change are becoming more prevalent issues for policymakers, including those at the recent World Economic Forum. Policymakers are aware of the need to implement … read more

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Waste to Energy Technologies

We are always keeping an eye on the latest innovations in alternative energy and waste management for the BSP Fund. Here are some of the stories that caught our interest this week.

Bloomberg Plan Aims to Require Food Composting by Mireya Navarro on The New York Times

Mayor Bloomberg is piloting food waste recycling programs in New York City. While the programs are currently voluntary, many city officials hope to make them mandatory within … read more

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Alternative Energy

We are always keeping an eye on the latest innovations in the alternative and clean energy sectors for the BSP Fund. Here are some of the stories that caught our interest this week.

Tackling Africa’s power poverty with renewable energy by Kristine Pearson on The World Economic Forum

The topic of sustainable methods of alternative energy is becoming increasingly common in development talks. The recent World Economic Forum on Africa, held in Cape Town, … read more

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Achieving universal energy access

What will it take to achieve universal energy access? This week’s Weekly Review articles cover advice for entrepreneurs working on these types of projects and alternative funding options.

“Can Technology End Poverty?” by Susan Davis on Harvard Business Review
Are you a skeptic or a believer that technology will impact the lives of underserved citizens around the world? We think it already has and will continue to do so. At ID, the idea … read more

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Innovating to Meet Energy Demand

This week we’re featuring news on energy, including breakthroughs from innovators and commentary on how this type of innovation is needed to meet the growing energy demand in Africa.

“A quiet breakthrough in geothermal power tech” by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOM
As we frequently mention on this blog, we like to keep tabs on innovation breakthroughs in renewable energy. Although we haven’t invested in a geothermal tech, we like to learn about those … read more

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United Nations Foundation Welcomes UN General Assembly Declaration of the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All

Washington, D.C. (January 4, 2013) –The United Nations Foundation today commended the United Nations General Assembly for its recent declaration of the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, 2014-2024. The Decade of Sustainable Energy for All will make access to sustainable energy a continuing priority on the global development agenda.

“Sustainable energy is essential to achieving sustainable development and meeting our goals as a global community,” said United Nations Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth.  “By … read more

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Weekly Review December 15-21: The Business of Energy

As alternative energy investors, we’re monitoring trends, innovations, business models, and costs for 2013. Read on to learn what GigaOM, The Guardian, Next Billion, and CleanTechnica have to say.

“The 10 best and worst things to happen to clean in 2012” by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOM
Katie Fehrenbacher closes out the year at GigaOM with her list of the best and worst trends in clean tech in 2012. Some are company-specific, but are … read more

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Energy Storage Technologies and Innovation

Our December 12th post introduced the importance of energy storage; today, we take a deeper look at where innovation is needed and the technologies that make it all possible.

Energy storage technology: more than just batteries

When we mention energy storage, your phone and computer batteries are likely the first technologies to come to mind; AA batteries are probably a close second. This is because they’ve become such a daily part of our lives. In … read more

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The Importance of Energy Storage

ID’s investment focus on alternative energy solutions includes not only renewable energies like solar, but also innovative ways to store energy. Energy storage technologies have the potential to radically transform the global energy landscape in the coming years, helping to solve key issues for integration and deployment of renewable energy systems. The technologies are crucial both in developed and developing markets and present an exciting opportunity for innovation. This post will discuss the role of … read more

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Weekly Review December 1-7

We’re always looking for entrepreneurs who are willing to tackle the challenge of making alternative energy affordable. This week, we’re sharing news on others also looking for ways to make the cost of energy affordable around the world.

“Powering Up: Innovating to Solve the Cost of Energy in Africa” by Will Mutua on Afrinnovator
Despite the discovery and availability of oil and gas across Africa, nations are still struggling to meet their populations’ … read more

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Weekly Review November 17-23: Alternative Energy Innovation

Since we are always on the lookout for our next investment for the BSP Fund, we stay up-to-date on innovations, regulations, and investment (both public and private) in the alternative energy sector. Here’s what piqued our interest this week in alternative energy.

“The next generation of air energy storage players” by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOM
Given how important energy storage is in both developed and developing markets, we’re always interested in new storage … read more

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Weekly Review November 3-9: Energy Startups and Entrepreneurial Initiatives

Several energy startups and entrepreneurial initiatives caught our attention this week. Here’s the round up of what we found intriguing and exciting.

“Peter Thiel, Khosla, Bill Gates back air energy storage startup LightSail” by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOM
Several investors have backed LightSail in a $37.3 million series D round. LightSail has designed a next-gen compressed air energy storage technology, which is essentially an air-based battery with twice the efficiency of its predecessors. … read more

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Renewable Energy in Kenya: Policy Tools and Anticipated Effects

As we introduced in our last post on this topic, Kenya is using several policy tools to stimulate renewable energy development and grow its national energy supply. With rapidly growing demand, the government has clearly identified renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal, as a reliable and sustainable way to increase energy supply.

Renewable energy production presents the potential for income and employment generation. It also encourages private investment while minimizing environmental harm. … read more

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Weekly Review September 1-7

The Economist, the International Energy Agency, and the World Economic Forum, and the Indian government each advocated for innovation in alternative energy technologies this week. Continue reading to find out what they said.… read more