Tag: energy access

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Simpa Networks announces commercial debt financing to scale up its clean electricity solutions in rural India

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BANGALORE – 17 December 2014 – Simpa, which sells solar-as-a-service to energy-poor households and micro-enterprises in rural India, today announced that it has completed a $4 million debt financing round. The financing has been provided by Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, and by GDF Suez through their Rassembleurs d’Energies program.

An estimated 400 million people in rural India still do not have access to an electricity … read more

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Clean Energy Access

Last week, we addressed global energy access, looking at innovative solutions to solve energy poverty in emerging markets. However, the energy discussion cannot end there. Another major issue the world is facing is rapid climate change and the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to it. Neither energy poverty nor climate change can be addressed alone. The articles below highlight how the international community is coming to the realization that clean energy solutions have the potential to … read more

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Energy solutions beyond the grid

Solving energy poverty is no easy feat, especially when the majority of the people in the world living without electricity live beyond the grid. Innovation is crucial to finding viable solutions to this global issue, but in addition to innovation we must consider solutions that can scale and create a lasting impact.

Get Rid of the Grid? by Pepukaya Bardouille & Dirk Muench on SSIR

According to a 2013 report, companies in the mobile phone … read more

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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

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Enabling Internet Connectivity in Africa

Access to reliable power and internet connection in Africa is an issue that we are always seeking to solve with investments in new technologies. These new technologies and increased investment in the market are positioning Africa as a leader in growth. The articles below highlight the exciting developments.

Africa marked as fastest growing technology market on IT News Africa

Hemmanth Singh, managing executive of m-Commerce at Vodacom, revealed Africa as the fastest growing technology market … 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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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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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