Solar for Development

Solar energy has experienced major scale globally in recent years. Today, as prices continue to drop and technologies improve, developing countries are beginning to capitalize on its offerings. Startups are popping up all over Sub-saharan Africa and rural India, offering BoP consumers access to clean, sustainable electricity at affordable prices. Below are articles highlighting the opportunities that solar offers to developing countries, and how startups, like our portfolio companies Simpa Networks and SolarNow are experiencing … read more

Energy for Development

At Invested Development, we invest in companies with products and services aimed at solving global energy poverty as access to energy impacts almost all other aspects development. Below are recent articles highlighting the role that energy plays in the development of emerging markets. Microgrids Life Villages Out of Dark Age by Megha Bahree on Nikkei Asian Review Our portfolio company, Simpa Networks, based in India, is playing a crucial role in bridging the “power … read more

Off-grid Solutions to Energy Poverty

Energy poverty is a major global problem, hindering the development of bottom-billion countries. Solar has been identified as a sustainable solution to provide reliable electricity to the globe. In order for the solar industry to scale and offer affordable solutions to the billions in need of power, infrastructure changes and major investments must be made. Below are recent articles, reports, and interviews discussing the potential for solar and the changes that must be made to … read more

Developments in Solar Energy

As solar falls in price, innovators see opportunities to create off-grid energy solutions for the millions without access to power. Entrepreneurs have identified ways to leverage these technologies to build businesses addressing energy access in emerging markets. This week’s articles take a look into recent developments in the market. Why solar costs will fall another 40% in just two years by Giles Parkinson on Renew Economy The World Energy Future Conference took place in Abu … read more

Progress in Solar for Energy Access

Access to clean, affordable energy for the rural poor is an issue that we are actively trying to solve. Solar power is a great solution, but solar products often have large up-front costs and the rural population can be skeptical about purchasing technologies they know little about. Entrepreneurs are taking the initiative to overcome these obstacles by creating innovative financing models or technical solutions such as integrating pay-as-you-go technologies with solar products, notably our own … read more

SolarNow’s Solar Systems for Schools – Education, Energy, and the Digital Divide in Africa

Last week, we wrote about the importance of connectivity in education in Africa. In this post, we’ll focus on a solution that our portfolio company SolarNow provides. When it comes to education, electricity is critical for reading lights, internet connectivity, as well as for a wide variety of education technologies that schools can use to improve their outcomes. SolarNow is working to provide these key ingredients for improved education by designing PV solar systems … read more

Global Energy Updates

Most of the developing world finds itself in an energy crisis, with little to no access to the grid or unreliable power supply for those with access. The portion of the world with reliable energy on the other hand wastes billions of dollars worth of watts every year. The articles below discuss each of these energy problems and outline solutions that could save money while providing more.

Why Solar Energy is Key to Solving Global read more

Clean energy developments

1.3 billion individuals across the globe, almost 20% of the world’s population, lack access to basic electricity mostly in emerging markets. If all of the energy currently generated in Africa were equally distributed, it would be enough to turn on one standard light bulb per person for a mere three hours per day. The following articles detail some new initiatives that are aiming to combat this pressing worldwide issue.

US energy department to support clean read more

Off-grid on a roll

Of the more than 1.4 billion individuals in the world lacking access to clean energy, the majority of them live in developing countries. There are many efforts going towards developing off-grid energy solutions, but the majority require financing to scale. The following articles detail some recent developments that are attempting to address this issue.

$2m for off-grid renewable energy in Myanmar by Priyanka Shrestha on Energy Live News
The potential for renewable energy use in … read more

Solar Energy Developments

Over 1.4 billion people in the world do not have access to electricity, and most of them live in developing countries. Solar energy represents a great opportunity to combat energy poverty by providing clean, affordable energy to all. The following articles detail recent developments, goals, and new technologies in solar energy.

Will SunFunder Unlock $1 Billion in Off-Grid Solar Venture Debt? by Justin Guay on The Energy Collective
One of the big success factors for … read more

Off-Grid Energy Gaining Momentum

Here at ID, we are always excited to learn about innovative developments in the energy sector, specifically in off-grid technologies. In emerging markets especially, there is a real need for efficient, alternative energy products. The following articles detail recent some developments that will help to address this issue.

Calling all energy grid startups for this Hawaiian accelerator’s next program by Katie Fehrenbacher on GigaOm
Hawaii’s Energy Excelerator announced that it will soon be opening applications … read more

SOLAR ENERGY ON A ROLL

Solar energy has been on a roll in recent years, helped by a drastic 64% decrease in the price of photovoltaic cells since 2008. Thanks to falling costs, over 2 million solar lanterns were sold in 2012, expected to increase 75% a year in Africa alone. Lowering costs and increasing affordability will be the biggest drivers for the continued growth of solar, so investments at both the project and product level are important to watch.… read more

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

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

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

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

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

Invested Development Invests in SolarNow to Provide Affordable Solar Home Systems in Uganda

Invested Development Invests in SolarNow to Provide Affordable Solar Home Systems in Uganda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 25, 2013

Boston, MA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, & Kampala, Uganda – Invested Development, an emerging markets-focused social impact investment company, has invested in SolarNow, a Dutch social enterprise operating in Uganda. SolarNow combines a franchise model with an end-user credit facility to provide affordable solar home systems (SHSs) in Uganda. There are 4 million off-grid households in Uganda, … read more

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

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

Weekly Review April 21-27

Every week, we read dozens of articles on our favorite industry trends and relate to our investment thesis. We pick the most popular trend from the week and share the top articles along with our thoughts.

This week’s topic is solar power in emerging markets. Headlines included updates on India’s National Solar Mission and the practical use of solar power on-the-ground in Africa.… read more

Weekly Review April 7-13

Last week we looked at the support system for mobile tech innovation; this week, several headlines caught our attention regarding the developing ecosystem of support for clean tech entrepreneurs in emerging markets.… read more

Simpa Networks Makes Headlines

We take pride in each one of our portfolio companies, and it’s always rewarding to see them recognized for their work. Simpa Networks has been quietly walking the walk and is now talking the talk, evidenced by article after article popping up in our Google Alerts. The media stories on Simpa spotlight the need for alternative energy and accompanying innovative financing solutions for the under- and un-electrified. Now, mainstream media like Inc Magazine and National read more