14 November 2022: Financing of one million euros, under the fourth edition of Access to Energy Fund, reinforces EDP’s social impact strategy in emerging economies and its focus on ensuring a fair energy transition. The projects now selected will benefit close to one million people in four African countries.

EDP will support nine more projects that promote access to renewable energy in remote and vulnerable communities in four African countries: Mozambique, Nigeria, Angola and Malawi. The total funding of one million euros – guaranteed by the A2E Fund (Access to Energy) – will have a direct impact in priority areas such as health, agriculture, education and access to drinking water, involving more than one million direct and indirect beneficiaries.

The use of decentralised solar energy and energy storage technologies are at the basis of all the projects selected in this fourth edition of A2E Fund, in a total of 158 applications. Among these projects, there is, for example, a system of solar suitcases that supply energy to maternity hospitals, micro-electric grids to supply clinical posts, solar systems for agricultural production or cold storage in local markets.

EDP thus reinforces its social impact strategy, promoting energy inclusion in more disadvantaged territories. In the case of Africa, which represents around 70% of the world’s population without access to electricity, this support is another contribution to meeting the needs of decarbonisation, climate action and access to energy – this is, in fact, one of the topics on the agenda of COP27, the United Nations Climate Conference, which is being held in Egypt until 18 November.

“Access to electricity is crucial to ensure the security and development of any community – and is an impactful issue in many remote communities or in more vulnerable situations in sub-Saharan Africa. Our commitment, now reinforced with the funding of nine more projects, is to continue contributing to facilitate this access to clean, safe and low-cost energy in these communities, and thus promote energy inclusion,” adds Vera Pinto Pereira, executive board member of EDP and responsible for the group’s global social impact strategy.

“The positive impact that EDP wants to have is measured by each of the lives that we help to change with this support. Whether it’s a child who can now study at night in their home because they have lighting, a doctor or nurse who now has emergency equipment to assist births and surgeries, or a saleswoman who can preserve their fresh produce in the market for longer and thus increase their family income.”

One million more people benefited

Nigeria, with four projects, and Mozambique, with three, are once again the countries with the most proposals selected in this fourth edition of the A2E Fund. Regarding Nigeria, the chosen promoters are We Care Solar (energy for maternity hospitals), Konexa (electrification of clinical posts and adjacent communities), Reeddi (solar capsules for families and small businesses) and Optimal Greening Foundation (drinking water and sanitation project).

In Mozambique, the entities selected were the Educafrica Association (electrification of school and community equipment in a fishing island), ADPP Mozambique (refrigeration system for fish market) and Fundación Energia sin Fronteras (electrification of an orphanage farm). Fundación Cuerama, with a project for the electrification of equipment serving a community, is the selected promoter in Angola, and aQysta Malawi, with a solar powered agricultural processing system, is the chosen project in Malawi.

With this fourth edition of the A2E Fund – a corporate social responsibility fund that doubled the amount of funding to 1 million euros in 2022 – EDP continues the program started in 2018. In the three previous editions, the fund has already provided a total of 1.5 million euros to support 20 projects in seven African countries (Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania) that have contributed to improving the lives of 80,000 people and indirectly, more than one million. A positive impact that is reinforced in this new edition of the program, which is estimated to benefit directly more than 40 thousand people and indirectly more than 900 thousand in these territories.

EDP thus reinforces its commitment to the planet’s sustainability, through the dissemination of renewable energies and the fight against poverty and electric exclusion that still affect the lives of millions of people, especially in remote rural communities in developing countries. The support to these projects is thus a decisive contribution to ensure a more sustainable, inclusive and fair future, in line with the company’s own ambition of being totally green by 2030.

All the projects, one by one

NIGERIA

• We Care Solar

In a country with one of the highest maternity mortality rates in the world (19%), where about 300,000 women and one million newborns die due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth, according to WHO data, Nigeria’s neo-natal healthcare system is among the worst in the world. We Care Solar believes that energy can save lives. Its plan is to provide clean energy to 60 primary health centres with delivery rooms equipped with solar ‘suitcases’, which ensure lighting and the operation of emergency medical equipment – a solution that could help save 32,000 mothers and babies every year.

• Konexa Eletricity

The electricity grid in Kaduna State has limited rural coverage and is not stable, providing only an average of 3-4 hours of electricity per day in electrified areas. Agricultural communities, located kilometres away from the grid, have no reliable access to power, forcing healthcare providers to work with candles at night and families to rely on charcoal and wood at home. With its project, Konexa aims to electrify five primary health care centres and 375 homes in the surrounding communities. With this project, more than 2,250 people (including 930 children) will switch to clean energy, reducing their exposure to toxic fumes and improving their health services.

• Reeddi Tecnhologies

Access to electricity is critical for the social and economic development of communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the case in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, where around 70 million people have no access to energy and more than 50 million, despite being connected to the grid, get no more than four hours of electricity a day. Reeddi found a solution by distributing capsules – a kind of small portable batteries – to 400 homes and small shops in four communities. This clean, affordable and reliable energy solution not only reduces energy bills by more than 30%, but also makes it possible to increase the income of more than 70 local small businesses.

• Optimal Greening Foundation

More than 58 million people in urban areas in Nigeria live without basic sanitation – notably in Lagos, where only 10% of the population has access to clean piped water. It is precisely in this city that this foundation is now developing a sanitation and access to clean water project in an island community (AGALA), 30 minutes by boat from Lagos. With 221 households (about 1,100 people), this community will benefit from the implementation of a water treatment system and other equipment powered by solar energy. The aim is to empower community members by creating at least 25 jobs for youth and women, who will be trained to operate, manage and secure these facilities after the implementation of the project.

MOZAMBIQUE

• Associação Educafrica

On Mbenguelene Island, 160 families live isolated and without electricity, with only one transport boat available. In this community, which lives from fishing and agriculture, 80 children learn under hoses and there is a high level of teacher absenteeism due to the fact that they do not have a place to live during the school year. Educafrica wants to change this reality by providing clean energy to the new school facilities and teachers’ house that it has started to build, allowing students to improve their education and teachers to have dignified living conditions, with lighting in the house, a water pump or a refrigerator. In addition, the population will have a boat with an electric motor, which will allow them to transport people and goods more quickly and easily.

• ADPP Moçambique

Fishing activity in the Cahora Bassa region has a significant social impact for more than 10,300 people, as it contributes to food security, employment and family income. However, fishers have limited access to specialized equipment and markets and are not prepared to participate in management models. In addition, the number of market infrastructure is restricted and the sales volume is very small. How to change this? Equipping fishermen with solar powered refrigeration and freezing machines is the first step. The project will also provide a solar energy system and equipment to a fish market. This change promotes a new entrepreneurial mindset among fishermen and aims to help increase fishermen’s income and resilience to the impact of climate change.

• Fundación Energia sin Fronteras

As manager of 500 hectares of agricultural land, Casa do Gaiato provides a source of food for vegetables (corn, potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, cabbages…) and meat (chickens, pigs, calves, etc.) for the children and young people on the estate, as well as for the 165 women and their families who live in the surrounding area of the farm known as the Fazenda. To reduce high electricity costs, as well as supply failures, and eliminate the use of polluting fuels such as diesel, a photovoltaic solar system and another storage system will be installed on the agricultural area of this orphanage, and at the school, which will now have a sustainable and reliable energy supply at affordable prices.

ANGOLA

• Fundação Cuerama

In the heart of Kwanza Sul province, the community of Cuerama suffers from isolation, the lack of roads to nearby villages and access to a telecommunications network. Reversing this scenario has become a priority for the Cuerama Foundation since 2015. To provide a better service the community will provide clean energy to the new facilities, such as the medical centre (for vaccine refrigeration, diagnostic equipment), the primary school and the school canteen (food preservation), among other interventions. Around 5,000 people will benefit from this project, which will also enhance the possibility of working with machinery and electrical equipment in carpentry, sewing, basketry, pottery, agriculture, and the artisanal production of soap.

MALAWI

• aQysta Malawi

The annual agricultural income of 15 million people in Malawi (80% of the total population) who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods is extremely low. With limited harvests throughout the year and struggling to get fresh produce to take quickly to markets, these farmers are forced to accept the low prices offered to them and so their financial condition remains critically fragile. With this project that uses solar energy in the post-harvest agricultural phase, about 1,000 farmers will have access to conservation and processing technologies powered by renewable energy and will be trained in good agricultural practices to meet the demands of buyers. This could represent a 200% increase in their income, but also a relevant step in solving other problems, such as feeding children in Malawi – for example, one of the crops processed are peanuts, used by a partner organisation in treatments for children with subnutrition problems.

9 November 2022: The World Bank Group announced today an innovative initiative to accelerate the pace of electrification in Africa to achieve universal access by 2030. The World Bank, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and other development agencies will promote private investment in distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems to electrify targeted areas quickly and efficiently. The Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up Platform (DARES) calls for joint action by government, private investors, and development agencies to solve Africa’s immediate needs while developing DRE solutions that can be applied globally.

At current rates of electrification, over a half billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will still be without electricity in 2030 unless the current electrification pace is tripled. Present projections indicate that only eight SSA countries will achieve universal electricity access by 2030, and some will take over 100 years to fully electrify. The lack of energy access greatly inhibits green, resilient, and inclusive development of many countries in SSA. The expansion of access through DRE systems will answer an urgent need quickly and support climate resilience, food security, and human capital development goals.

DRE systems generally involve a solar photo-voltaic station paired with battery storage. In rural communities, these systems can serve a health care facility, for example, or a group of customers such as households or businesses in a village, operating independently from the national power grid.  DRE systems can be easily installed, are reliable, and do not require the large investment needed to build a utility-scale power plant.

“Now more than ever we need innovative solutions that close the energy access gap,” said Riccardo Puliti, World Bank Vice President for Infrastructure. “Bringing together government and the private sector to support distributed renewable energy can help extend electrification to the most vulnerable while also advancing clean energy.”

DRE is the fastest and most cost-effective mechanism to accelerate clean electricity access on the continent. Over the last 10 years, 20 percent of all new electric connections in SSA have been through DRE systems. While DRE is now attracting private sector financing, this support is not at the scale that is needed.

DARES will leverage this positive momentum to work with governments and the private sector to expand DRE investment. The World Bank Group is well-positioned to take the lead in scaling the DRE sector in SSA, using a different approach from traditional infrastructure investments to incentivize private financing commitment.

“MIGA is in a strong position to support private investment through new and innovative risk mitigation solutions that are fit-for-purpose for the unique risk faced by investors,” said Hiroshi Matano, MIGA Executive Vice President. “We look forward to working with Sub-Saharan African countries to create opportunities to combine public and private investment approaches to electrify Africa in the near future.”

DARES will leverage World Bank, MIGA, and IFC expertise to create a joint cross-sectoral approach to develop innovative financial and de-risking instruments to be rolled out at a regional level. The platform also provides for significant technical assistance for governments and the private sector and differentiated approaches consistent with unique country contexts and markets. A key goal in this respect is to tackle barriers to private sector participation to give SSA countries the ability to mobilize DRE systems faster, while making them, greener, more resilient, and inclusive.

DARES will have five core areas: mini-grids, off-grid solar markets, systems for schools and health facilities, solar irrigation and cold chain for farmers, and innovative business models to displace diesel generation and improve access reliability.

“Investing in distributed renewable energy is one of the most efficient ways to tackle energy access challenges and to support economic activities in Africa while addressing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Emmanuel Nyirinkindi, IFC Vice President of Cross-Cutting Solutions. “Mini-grid systems are one example of DRE and can efficiently deliver energy to cities and rural areas outside the limits of a national grid.”

The World Bank has an active portfolio of $2.7 billion for DRE access, targeting electrification of about 40 million people. IFC has initiated the Scaling Mini Grids Program and is building on its Lighting Africa Engagement. MIGA has $83 million in DRE guarantees and a $400 million pipeline. MIGA is developing “fit-for-purpose” instruments that address the unique risks faced by distributed energy investors and is actively engaging with partners to bring together complementary solutions for its DRE clients.

DARES responds to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7, which calls for “affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all” by 2030. These core targets are at the platform’s foundation to ensure universal access to Sub-Saharan-Africa.

The impact of this initiative goes beyond electrifying Africa. Electricity is the foundational enabler to address other critical initiatives such as food insecurity, gender equality, climate resilience, and health.  Electrification will open more options to solve these issues.

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About World Bank Group: The World Bank Group plays a key role in the global effort to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. It consists of five institutions: the World Bank, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA); the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Working together in more than 100 countries, these institutions provide financing, advice, and other solutions that enable countries to address the most urgent challenges of development. For more information, visit: www.worldbank.org, www.miga.org, and www.ifc.org.

7 November 2022: ZOLA Electric, the leading Emerging Market energy technology company, announces the successful launch of the first-of-its-kind, distributed mini-grid.

The groundbreaking mini-grid project, installed in the agricultural villages of Gakagati I and II in Nyagatare, Rwanda – the country’s largest and second most-populous district – will deliver clean, affordable, reliable power via ZOLA’s innovative INFINITY technology, to over 1,000 homes, businesses, schools and clinics.

The project received funding from Facebook, the Shell Foundation, USAID and Endev, and technical support from NXT Grid. After a ten month, three-phase rollout, the grid went online on 30th September 2022.

ZOLA provides distributed energy solutions that – as a network – enable community level electrification. It is the world-first technology platform purpose-built to deliver reliable, affordable and clean power to the 2.2 billion people and hundreds of millions of businesses globally, who currently lack access to it. A first of its kind, ZOLA’s distributed mini-grid – with decentralized and modular technology – allows infinite scaling to power not only villages, but also larger towns and cities. This modularity extends to the ability to connect and work together with a national grid or other mini-grids.

ZOLA’s mini-grid can grow smoothly with increases in energy consumption, unlike conventional solutions which struggle to adapt to changes in energy use and connectivity. The result is a better use of capital – directly leading to lower costs for end users, and more resilient, reliable and flexible power generation than the traditional centralized architecture that has stumbled for decades.

Rwanda’s economic, industrial and social development has been constrained by profound energy access and inequality issues. 90% of Rwandans lack reliable, affordable energy with nearly half having no access to electricity at all. While endowed with natural resources such as hydro, solar, and methane gas, Rwanda fills its Energy Access gap with diesel and kerosene. This results in some of the world’s highest energy costs for unreliable energy sources – the definition of Energy Inequality.

Bill Lenihan, CEO at ZOLA Electric, said:

“Via the Gakagati project, ZOLA is driving immense social impact across Rwandan communities most in need of clean, accessible, reliable, and affordable energy. The transformative potential and power of mini-grids in Rwanda, across Africa, and emerging markets more widely, is hugely exciting.

“As the world’s first distributed mini-grid, it is another significant milestone in ZOLA’s mission to solve Energy Access and Energy Equality in emerging markets – whilest also protecting the environment, supporting economic development and sustaining the livelihoods of those in need. We thank USAID, Facebook, the Shell Foundation and others for their backing and look forward to using mini-grids as a key part of our technology platform to support and connect communities across the world.”

Ashish Kumar, Climate & Innovation Lead at Shell Foundation, said:

“We are pleased to support ZOLA Electric’s project to launch the world’s first distributed mini grid. ZOLA has long been a leading innovator in the energy access and transition space and this new project is tremendously exciting. Although the technology is continuing to mature, the emerging data from the initial phased roll out has shown huge potential for it to be rolled out more widely across emerging markets.”

The 120 kWp Gakagati project is transforming the lives of the local community by powering 931 homes, 58 businesses, three religious centers, a school, a health center, and five irrigation systems, with an expected gradual capacity expansion to 240kWp over two years. The grid runs on solar energy supplied by African renewables champion – Equatorial Power.

Central to the new grid are ZOLA’s INFINITY BOXES, a crucial innovation on the path to decentralized, smart energy supply. Built from peer-to-peer, modular AC units, INFINITY provides a versatile and infinitely scalable energy solution for the largely unelectrified agricultural villages Gakagati I and II. In comparison to a typical grid – in a clustered and centralized location – ZOLA’s boxes and panels are distributed throughout the village.

To support and monitor its network, ZOLA employs its management software platform, VISION, enabling adjustments without any decline in service – underpinning the grid’s reliability and performance. VISION is INFINITY’s competitive differentiator, as it grows with demand, conducts accurate demand assessment, optimizes the network and drives down operating costs.

The impact of INFINITY, ZOLA’s mini-grids technology is significant and effective against Energy Inequality in all markets, urban or rural serving residential, commercial or industrial Energy Access customers. By combining unprecedented scalability with cost efficiency, INFINITY-powered mini-grids are set to be a turnkey factor in developing a sustainable Emerging Market energy infrastructure built for the 21st century.

4 November 2022: After pioneering and leading the minigrid industry in rural Asia and Africa for 15 years, Husk Power Systems today released the first-ever industry roadmap for minigrid developers. The roadmap outlines a framework for growth and commercial viability for the solar minigrid industry in emerging markets, and lays out detailed metrics for achieving scale and sustainability.

The minigrid industry is at a crossroads: either it assumes a central role in ending energy poverty, or it becomes a marginal solution. Minigrids have been identified by the World Bank as the most cost effective and quickest way to provide modern electricity to nearly 500 million people, most of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the industry has yet to fully scale to its optimal capacity, with only 10% of the needed 200,000 microgrids currently in operation.

“Now more than ever, solar minigrids are a core solution for closing the energy access gap, and the World Bank has been scaling up its support for the industry,” said Jon Exel, team lead for the World Bank ESMAP’s global facility on minigrids. “The new industry roadmap clearly outlines actions needed from private sector companies to realize the full potential of solar minigrids. Policy and finance actions are also needed, such as embedding minigrids into national electrification plans and devising financing solutions more suitable for large portfolios of smaller projects.”

Industry roadmaps have proven instrumental for other industries in driving targeted investment and innovation that lead to scale, but the minigrid industry has never had one to guide unified action based on a commonly agreed upon set of targets and metrics..

Scaling Solar Hybrid Minigrids: An Industry Roadmap fills that gap, and identifies the key characteristics for sustainability and scale. It also selects the appropriate metrics and timelines for scale, which if met will ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to modern, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all by 2030. The roadmap received input from more than a dozen leading institutions, including development banks, private sector trade groups, academics, think tanks and multilateral agencies.

“In spite of the urgent need, the minigrid industry has yet to produce a profitable company,” said the roadmap’s lead author Brad Mattson, who is chairman of Husk Power and board member of the Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA). “There are strong signs that the industry is maturing, but remaining barriers to sustainability and scale require a new level of ambition and clarity, and a proven formula with quantifiable metrics.”

The roadmap translates the barriers to sustainability and scale into clear industry performance indicators, with a timeline that establishes a path to success. This not only provides targets for minigrid developers, but also the entire ecosystem of investors, donors, suppliers and regulators that support the minigrid sector. The roadmap lays a foundation for uniting that ecosystem around a set of common goals.

The roadmap reached several important conclusions on what actions are required by 2030 for the industry to scale and to be bankable, with a focus on cost, demand, quality of service and rate of deployment. A summary follows:

• Sustainable business models are the highest priority: The industry requires viable business models that work at both the individual site level and at the portfolio level. The three components that drive this viability are cost, quality of service and demand. Long-term viability is only possible if companies move from a traditional utility model to an energy services model;
• Key success metrics need an overhaul: To date, the industry has used Cost Per Connection (CPC) to measure cost. The roadmap recommends instead basing that metric on Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), the energy industry standard. In addition, Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) should be used as indicators of demand;
• Costs must come down significantly: The industry should target a cost of electricity that is less than $0.20 kWh by 2030 if it is to both scale and offer customers affordable power, which means a more than 40% decline from current industry average costs;
• Demand must go up significantly: Developers need to shift from a pure utility model to an energy services model, with a focus on increasing ARPU and CUF. This could include introducing appliance sales for households and businesses, and identifying and aggregating productive use off-takers. Both ARPU and CUF must more than double by the end of the decade for industry viability;
• The industry needs companies with scale: In most industries, 3 companies typically account for 80% of market share. The minigrid industry is currently made up of dozens of companies with minimal scale. To achieve industry targets, 10 companies with 10 times the highest current annual construction capacity are needed;
• Market segmentation is out-of-date: The industry needs to stop treating the market as a homogenous entity. Different markets need different solutions. The roadmap takes the pioneering step to define three major market types – commercially viable markets, bridge markets and concessionary markets – and starts the discussion about business models to address them.

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About Husk Power Systems: Founded in 2008, Husk Power Systems is the leading net-zero energy services company operating across rural Asia and Africa. Its smart and sustainable solutions, centered around community solar microgrids, accelerate access to clean, modern and affordable electricity and catalyze socio-economic development. Husk’s focus on the customer meets the growing aspirations of businesses and households, while its grid-integratable solution supports national electrification plans. For more information, visit: huskpowersystems.com.

27 October 2022: The global technology group Wärtsilä released today its new report “Nigeria Leading Africa to Net Zero”, which provides a detailed and realistic roadmap showing how Nigeria should proceed to build a 100% renewable energy power system by 2060.

As Nigeria seeks to take the lead in climate action whilst meeting the nation’s growing energy needs and secure universal access to electricity for its population, the need to build a data-driven and cost-effective energy strategy becomes crucial. Using advanced energy system modelling techniques, Wärtsilä’s analysts have outlined the most cost-effective power system that can be built in Nigeria year after year to reach net zero by 2060.

According to Wärtsilä’s report, the optimal power system will consist of 1,200 GW of renewable energy capacity and require a total of 283 GW of energy storage and 34 GW of engine-based power plants for grid balancing purposes. The research shows that investing in renewable energy and flexibility from gas engines and energy storage is the best way to reduce energy costs, increase energy access and improve grid reliability. With this strategy, the cost of electricity generation is predicted to drop by 74% by 2060 compared to 2022 levels, and carbon emissions will drop to zero.

This in-depth energy modelling exercise also reveals the key role that Nigeria’s domestic gas will play to enable a smooth energy transition. Nigeria’s vast domestic gas reserves can be mobilised as an inexpensive bridging fuel, to power balancing engines in support of intermittent renewable energy generation, until gas engine power plants begin to be converted to run purely on green hydrogen starting in the early forties.

“If the power system expansion roadmap presented to the report is successfully implemented, by 2060 Nigeria’s power system will be fully decarbonised and able to meet the energy needs of our country’s rapidly growing population. The key components of our power system will be renewables, supported energy storage technologies, together with grid-balancing engines that have been converted to run on green hydrogen.  As early as 2032, Nigeria can reach universal access to electricity, and the inefficient, expensive, and polluting diesel generators still widely used today will be ancient history.”, said Wale Yusuff, Managing Director of Wärtsilä in Nigeria.

However, delivering on this ambitious plan will require enormous investments, estimated at $18.7 Billion until 2030 and $425 Billion until 2060. “Attracting that level of investment is possible, but not without significant policy reforms. Despite the many government efforts to implement an increasingly strong legal framework, project developers and sponsors must still navigate a very complex and uncertain system that adds excessive investment risk.”, warned Wale Yusuff.

With its huge gas reserves and high renewable energy potential, Nigeria has all the natural resources necessary to lead the country to a successful energy transition. If the country can improve its power transmission infrastructure, develop a sound policy framework, and deploy a data-driven power expansion plan based on renewable energy and flexibility; it will take a giant step towards its goal of securing universal access to affordable, reliable and fully decarbonised electricity.

19 October 2022: The Access to Energy Institute (A2EI) and the European programme GET.invest officially launched the data platform Prospect at the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo 2022 in Kigali today. Prospect radically optimizes real-time data collection, analysis, and visualisation to support sustainable energy stakeholders in providing affordable and clean energy access for all. Prospect is supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria.

Prospect is the first global open-source, product-agnostic, real-time and free-of-charge data and transaction platform that automatically collects, aggregates, analyses and displays data from all modern sustainable energy solutions. The platform facilitates big data analysis on any product segment, region, and country in near real-time. It tracks energy services ranging from small solar home systems to large mini-grids and grid-connected distribution networks – while also covering productive use appliances, modern clean cooking solutions, and systems installed in public institutions.

The platform employs a unique “energy fingerprint + heartbeat” methodology that combines customer, technical, usage, maintenance, and payment data streams to authenticate performance and impact, while adhering to strict data privacy policies. It transparently makes multi-layered data available both at the individual system and at project or aggregate level.

Prospect allows for instantaneous secure data sharing, empowering users to leverage their data to gain insights, raise finance, prove results, and contribute to broader research within the energy sector. It facilitates extensive automatic reporting, monitoring and evaluation and features a built-in transaction functionality to support financing and subsidy disbursements. Providing distributors, investors, funders and governments alike with a broad range of analytical and practical opportunities, Prospect aims to serve as a trust provider for all sustainable energy access stakeholders.

Prospect was borne out of the climate technology experiences of two aligned efforts: the Edison data platform, built by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) to support the Beyond the Grid Fund for Zambia funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); and the Climate Impact Payments Platform (CLIPP), developed by A2EI to prototype innovative impact monetization approaches.

“Sida has come to rely ever more on accurate, reliable and up-to-date data in our program planning and decision-making in the energy sector, and with Prospect we are investing in taking our existing efforts to the next level,” said Anders Arvidson of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, one of the donors behind Prospect. “We are thrilled to see this partnership between A2EI and GET.invest, which will also leverage GET.invest’s deep network and experience in advising and mobilizing investment for off-grid projects and companies.”

Stefan Zelazny, Prospect Project Lead and Managing Director at A2EI, explained: “Our mission is to provide a cutting-edge digital platform, advanced data analytics and technical support to anyone who enables, funds or delivers modern sustainable energy to underserved people, and do so reflecting a commitment to open-source and open access.”

“Together with A2EI and with the support from the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria, we are building next-generation data infrastructure for the off-grid sector that reflects the values of the Just Transition,” said John Tkacik, who coordinates Prospect at GET.invest.

Justin Mukosa, Manager Corporate Affairs at the Zambian Rural Electrification Authority (REA), one of the first official Prospect users: “REA Zambia is proud to be associated with A2EI and GET.invest in the development of an open data platform that would enable transparent access to high quality and verified data, contributing to the optimization of our ambitious electrification strategy. Further, high quality and verifiable data would enable REA to secure long-term financing. We believe that availability of data is key to swift scaling up and increased uptake of renewable off-grid energy projects in Africa.”

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About A2EI: A2EI is the first not-for-profit and collaborative research and development institute aiming to advance renewable energy access in emerging economies. It provides broad, reliable open-source data, as well as on-the-ground research and analysis of solar solutions, and software platforms to administer these. Additionally, A2EI develops and procures solar system and appliance prototypes and initiates pilot projects – aiming to provide widely scalable sustainable energy research and solutions as a common good. For more information, visit: www.a2ei.org.

About GET.invest: GET.invest is a leading programme that supports investments in private sector clean energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific region. The programme works across all relevant clean energy technologies and business models, assisting project developers and companies towards bankability and linking them with financiers. Since 2022, GET.invest powers the Team Europe One Stop Shop for Green Energy Investments, an access point for information about and facilitated access to European support and financing instruments for energy projects and companies. GET.invest is supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria. For more information, visit: www.get-invest.eu.

11 October 2022: The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) today launched a partnership to promote financial innovation and investment to deliver greater levels of finance to clean cooking solutions. Both organizations will focus in particular on markets in Africa and Asia, where the need for clean cooking is particularly acute.

The partnership was formalized between representatives of CCA, which is hosted by the UN Foundation, and UNCDF during the Clean Cooking Forum in Accra, Ghana.

Some 2.4 billion people live without access to clean cooking, which costs the world more than $2.4 trillion in damage to the climate and local economies and contributes to 3.2 million premature deaths each year. Current funding levels for clean cooking solutions has hovered around US$130 million, a fraction of the US$10 billion required annually to ensure access to clean cooking.

By working to increase finance flows into companies operating in clean cooking markets, CCA and UNCDF will look to close the clean cooking gap that is undermining local economies, producing negative health outcomes in communities and damaging the climate on a global scale. Both organizations will focus in particular on African and Asian markets where much of the global clean cooking needs are concentrated.

“Access to finance is one of the biggest challenges faced by entrepreneurs and businesses working on clean cooking solutions,” said Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clean Cooking Alliance. “Through this partnership with UNCDF, we will drive financial innovation to unlock smart public finance and new forms of climate and social impact finance to expand the frontiers of clean fuel and application”

“Between CCA’s leadership role and unsurpassed network in the sector, and UNCDF’s history of catalyzing investment to finance the decentralized energy value chain in frontier markets and LDCs, our partnership will truly optimize our unique capabilities towards this critical effort,” said Xavier Michon, Deputy Executive Secretary of UNCDF. “Perhaps most importantly, my hope is that both UNCDF and CCA can spark a demonstration effect that will see clean cooking finance go from the millions to the billions needed to arrive at the success that we seek.”

CCA and UNCDF will aim to increase the flow of public finance and newer forms of climate and social impact finance into companies operating in clean cooking markets. The two organizations will collaborate through three prongs of activities to carry out this effort:

• Joint Programming– Partnering on innovative finance initiatives for clean cooking as well as digital innovations in Asia and Africa, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania;
• Research and Thought Leadership—In such areas as unit economics, identifying and understanding buyers and responsible carbon finance;
• Partnerships and Advocacy—Including the global promotion of clean cooking as nature based solutions within the climate finance space.

29 September 2022: Husk Power Systems, the leading net-zero energy company serving rural Africa and Asia, today announced it has doubled its fleet of solar hybrid microgrids in Nigeria, and is now present in 12 communities. The company has also developed a pipeline of nearly 100 additional microgrids for future development.

Since entering Nigeria in 2020, Husk now accounts for about 15% of the microgrids commissioned under the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), a unit under the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) that is working to scale private sector solar microgrids. Husk is on track to complete about 20 sites in Nigeria by the start of 2023.

At full capacity the 12 microgrids owned and operated by Husk, all located in Nasarawa state, are expected to benefit more than 50,000 people. Husk is seeing 50% of diesel generators in its communities taken offline within the first year of a microgrid’s operations, amounting to hundreds of displaced generators. Customers are registering at least 30% reduction in monthly energy costs by switching from diesel to solar.

Husk’s first batch of six microgrids were launched in November 2021,. Those sites are experiencing high demand from both businesses and households. For example, average capacity utilization for Husk’s microgrids – a key measure of commercial viability – is already more than 50%, well above the industry average. Husk’s average monthly revenue per customer is also 2-3 times higher than the industry benchmark, based on data from the Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) published in 2022.

In addition to providing electricity, Husk has introduced appliance sales to the communities served by its microgrids, for both household and productive uses (such as health centers, water purification and agro-processing).

“Doubling our net-zero microgrid portfolio in less than a year is testament to Husk’s ability to play an important role in Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and its goal of providing energy for all within this decade,” said Olu Aruike, Country Director of Husk Nigeria. “With continued support from our host communities, governments at all levels and other partners, we will create a rural energy platform to help off grid and weak grid communities achieve their full economic potential.”

Earlier this year, Husk launched its Nigeria Sunshot initiative, with a target of building at least 500 sites by 2026 benefiting more than 2 million people and displacing 25,000 diesel generators.

According to recent Nigerian government data, solar microgrids represent the least-cost technology for 8.9 million of the 19.8 million additional connections needed in the country to achieve universal electrification by 2030. Under its Nigeria Sunshot Initiative, by 2026 Husk will be able to provide about 5% of those microgrid connections, and impact 2 million people, with the potential for much greater impact by the end of the decade.

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About Husk Power Systems: Founded in 2008, Husk Power Systems is the leading net-zero energy services company operating across Asia and Africa. Its smart and sustainable solutions, centered around community solar microgrids, accelerate access to clean, modern and affordable electricity and catalyze socio-economic development. Husk’s focus on the customer meets the growing aspirations of businesses and households, while its grid-integratable solution supports national electrification plans. For more information, visit: huskpowersystems.com.

• CBEA, a leading project financier of mini-grids in Africa, committed to invest in $60M of mini-grid projects developed by ENGIE Energy Access, a leading provider of energy access solutions in Africa | Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy but more than 80 million people lack access to electricity | This transaction will finance construction of a portfolio of mini-grids, connecting over 150,000 people to power for the first time.

28 September 2022: CrossBoundary Energy Access Nigeria (CBEA) and ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria (ENGIE) are announcing a project finance agreement to build a $60 million portfolio of mini-grids that will connect over 150,000 people to electricity in Nigeria.

ENGIE has developed a pipeline of mini-grids to build over the next four years. CBEA will finance all of the development and construction activities and will own the projects. ENGIE will provide long-term operations and maintain services for the mini-grids and ensure that the residential, commercial, and productive use customers receive clean, reliable electricity while delivering high-quality and customer centric services.

CBEA will provide the private capital for the transaction. CBEA will invest this private capital alongside the Performance Based Grant (PBG) funded by the World Bank and administered by Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP).

ENGIE, expanding on its energy access track record across Africa, sees huge value in the development of the mini-grid business in Nigeria. The agreement represents further progress in the African mini-grid space as it will expand access to energy to grid-unserved communities, creating economic growth and increasing socio-economic welfare in the community.

CBEA and ENGIE are excited that this innovative financing approach will provide electricity to more than 150,000 people in Nigeria and can be replicated across Africa.

Annette Mumbi, Associate Director at CrossBoundary Energy Access, says, “CBEA has improved our project financing approach for mini-grids to deploy capital faster and more efficiently by investing from procurement. These improvements enable developers to build mini-grids and deliver electricity to more people at a faster pace. Our agreement with ENGIE is one more milestone towards closing the gap on more than 600 million people in Africa who lack access to electricity.”

Gillian-Alexandre Huart, CEO, ENGIE Energy Access, says, “We’re excited to work in partnership with CrossBoundary Energy Access to finance this portfolio of mini-grids in Nigeria. This deal reflects our long-term commitment as a leading provider of energy access solutions in Africa. Most importantly, this agreement will connect marginalized rural populations in Nigeria with clean and affordable technologies and facilitate more economic opportunities in these hard-to-serve areas. Promoting productive usages is key to growing resilient economic networks in these areas.”

Tessa Dignam, Senior Legal Counsel at CrossBoundary, says, “CrossBoundary Energy Access is excited to collaborate with an experienced developer like ENGIE. This partnership demonstrates an innovative and flexible approach taken to advance renewable energy solutions in Africa. Financing structures like the one between CBEA and ENGIE in Nigeria provide a framework for bringing even more private capital into the sector.”

Bankole Cardoso, Country Director ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria, says, “This partnership is a huge step forward for us in our mission to not only impact lives through affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions but to also improve economic productivity in communities across Nigeria. With this partnership we will connect thousands of households in four years and have a direct impact on the agricultural productivity, light scale construction and industrial activity in the communities thereby increasing the earning potential of over 150,000 individuals across Nigeria.”

Humphrey Wireko, Managing Director at CrossBoundary Energy Access, says, “This investment would not be possible without the enabling environment created by Nigeria’s mini-grid regulations, the World Bank, REA, and the NEP program. We look forward to building a foundation in Nigeria and will look to expand our project financing approach to other markets with similar enabling environments.”

Onyinye Anene-Nzelu, Head, Mini-Grids, ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria, says, “This partnership shows what is possible within the off-grid decentralized renewable energy industry, in Nigeria and across Africa. It is a signal as well to other investors to come to Africa and become partners in progress to bridge its huge energy gap.”

27 September 2022: Solar mini grids can provide high-quality uninterrupted electricity to nearly half a billion people in unpowered or underserved communities and be a least-cost solution to close the energy access gap by 2030. But to realize the full potential of solar mini grids, governments and industry must work together to systemically identify mini grid opportunities, continue to drive costs down, and overcome barriers to financing, says a new World Bank report.

Around 733 million people – mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa – still lack access to electricity. The pace of electrification has slowed down in recent years, due to the difficulties in reaching the remotest and most vulnerable populations, as well as the devastating effects of the COVID 19 pandemic. At the current rate of progress, 670 million people will remain without electricity by 2030.

“Now more than ever, solar mini grids are a core solution for closing the energy access gap,” said Riccardo Puliti, Infrastructure Vice President at the World Bank. “The World Bank has been scaling up its support to mini grids as part of helping countries develop comprehensive electrification programs. With $1.4 billion across 30 countries, our commitments to mini grids represent about one-quarter of total investment in mini grids by the public and private sector in our client countries. To realize mini grids’ full potential to connect half a billion people by 2030, several actions are needed, such as incorporating mini grids into national electrification plans and devising financing solutions adapted to mini grid projects’ risk profiles.”

The deployment of solar mini grids has seen an important acceleration, from around 50 per country per year in 2018 to more than 150 per country per year today, particularly in countries with the lowest rates of access to electricity. This is the result of falling costs of key components, the introduction of new digital solutions, a large and expanding cohort of highly capable mini grid developers, and growing economies of scale.

Solar mini grids have become the least-cost way to bring high-quality 24/7 electricity to towns and cities off the grid or experiencing regular power cuts. The cost of electricity generated by solar mini grids has gone down from $0.55/kWh in 2018 to $0.38/kWh today. Modern solar mini grids now provide enough electricity for life-changing electric appliances, such as refrigerators, welders, milling machines or e-vehicles. Mini grid operators can manage their systems remotely, and paidsmart meters enable customers to pay as they use the electricity.  Connecting 490 million people to solar mini grids would avoid 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Further acceleration is needed, however, to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). Powering 490 million people by 2030 will require the construction of more than 217,000 mini grids at a cumulative cost of $127 billion. At current pace, only 44,800 new mini grids serving 80 million people will be built by 2030 at a total investment cost of $37 billion.

Produced by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), the new book, Mini Grids for Half a Billion people: Market Outlook and Handbook for Decision Makers, identifies five market drivers to set the mini grid sector on a trajectory to achieve full market potential and universal electrification:

1. Reducing the cost of electricity from solar hybrid mini grids to $0.20/kWh by 2030, which would put life-changing power in the hands of half a billion people for just $10 per month
2. Increasing the pace of deployment to 2,000 mini grids per country per year, by building portfolios of modern mini grids instead of one-off projects
3. Providing superior-quality service to customers and communities by providing reliable electricity for 3 million income-generating appliances and machines and 200,000 schools and clinics
4. Leveraging development partner funding and government investment to “crowd in” private-sector finance, raising $127 billion in cumulative investment from all sources for mini grids by 2030.
5. Establishing enabling mini grid business environments in key access-deficit countries through light-handed and adaptive regulations, supportive policies, and reductions in bureaucratic red tape.

The handbook is the World Bank’s most comprehensive and authoritative publication on mini grids to date.

26 September 2022: Kowry Energy, a sustainability-driven energy service provider focused on power provision across Sub-Saharan Africa, is proud to announce the successful commissioning of four decentralised solar energy systems in Senegal, Nigeria and Mali within 16months of the company’s incorporation.

Kowry Energy provides efficient and affordable hybrid energy systems that strengthen and empower communities and businesses. The analysis of the data provided by these digitised systems can provide solutions to drive demand management while accelerating the growth of local economies.

The successfully commissioned projects are the first of several forming portfolios in each country that will be realised within three years.

Senegal:

Kowry Energy designed a 10 kWp PV decentralised solar energy system with battery storage for Sud Solar Systems to provide access to green and affordable electricity to two public buildings and seven micro-enterprises within the community of Bani in Southern Senegal. The system was designed to support income-generating activities to unlock the community’s economic potential.

Nigeria:

On behalf of Proserve Energy Services, Kowry Energy designed two 286 kWp PV solar energy systems for a plastic recycling plant and a food processing plant in Abuja, replacing 50% and almost 100%, respectively, of demand mainly from diesel generators. The rooftop-mounted solar systems collectively reduce CO2 emissions by 208,521kg per annum.

Mali:

In Djine, an agriculture hub in the cotton belt of Mali, Kowry Energy designed a 69 kWp PV hybrid energy system with battery storage and a backup generator for Access Energie. The project will provide reliable electricity to 3,000 residents, 40 businesses and ten public buildings.

Ndiarka Mbodji, CEO & Founder of Kowry Energy, said, “Countries across Africa have resiliently emerged from the pandemic and now face the uncertainty and challenges brought about by climate change, food and water insecurity. We have worked closely with our customers to remove unnecessary barriers to business growth in the local communities they serve; reliable and affordable clean electricity is the backbone of any economy, from which ever-lasting societal foundations can be built, and development can be sustainable. These inaugural projects prove our concept and demonstrate the demand for our unique offering. We look forward to deepening our relationship with our customers and partners in West Africa and to expanding our reach across Africa”.

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About Kowry Energy: Kowry Energy is a sustainability-driven energy service provider focused on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The company designs and delivers decentralised hybrid energy solutions with appropriate financing to local energy companies to power businesses and communities. Kowry Energy’s core value proposition is to scale energy access at pace with flexible and modular hybrid systems and to provide data-driven solutions for further growth. Kowry Energy is based in Berlin, Germany.

1 September 2022: Creeds Energy has energized 50 households in Bassa, Nasarawa State, with 24-hour solar energy access using mesh-grids from Okra Solar.

The 50 household project with Creeds Energy marks Okra’s third successful deployment of mesh-grids in Nigeria. Creeds has a track record of deploying successful projects and is  aiming to rapidly expand their mesh-grid portfolio to 910 households with the financial support of the Rural Electrification Agency’s Solar Power Naija program.

The  project was installed in five days, with households generating clean power instantly. The total project has 10kW of solar PV generation, 51.2kWh of battery storage capacity (LFP), and supplies an average daily load of 460Wh/day, sized for 99% network uptime.

Okra’s innovative “plug-and-play” mesh-grid technology is installed at each household, just like typical rooftop solar home systems, and allows neighbouring households to interconnect and share excess energy. This increases the overall energy availability and reliability of the service, similar to mini-grids. Households energized by the mesh-grid in Bassa will be able to use electric cooking, refrigeration and water pumping amongst other productive use appliances.

The cost per connection for this 50 household pilot was less than USD $1,000/household, which represents an estimated 30% cost saving compared to delivering the same amount of power (460Wh/day) using a traditional centralised mini-grid.

The scale-up phase of the project will see Creeds electrifying an additional 910 households and businesses spread across the Bassa community and the nearby market area. These areas currently lack access to electricity altogether or are predominantly using diesel generators as a primary source of electricity.

The scale-up project will also energise a mosque and a health care centre, creating a green hub in the centre of Nasarawa State.  In 2015, the United Nations set out to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, including SDG7: clean and affordable energy access for all. Nigeria still has about 90 million people without basic energy access, but projects like this one in Bassa are an example of how local companies are using innovative approaches to make an impact.

Hannah Kabir,  CEO of Creeds Energy, commented:

“Our partnership with Okra has ushered in endless possibilities for delivering energy access to the multitude of households and businesses in need. The first of many, this project showcases the potential of Creeds Litedey model with emerging technologies and solutions aimed at powering prosperity.”

Afnan Hannan, Co-Founder and CEO of Okra Solar, commented:

“Creeds Energy is doing some amazing work in Nigeria. We are proud to be working with a local team with a woman founder, Hannah who is an amazing entrepreneur with an amazing team. They have a great grasp of community and social development needs, and the fact that they’re energising households using Okra mesh-grid technology is really heartwarming and we’re fully backing them as they scale out to energise more households.”

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About Okra Solar: Okra Solar’s mission is to facilitate sustainable energy access for last-mile communities around the globe. Developers have used okra Solar’s Mesh-Grid technology in Cambodia, the Philippines, Haiti and Nigeria to deploy clean and reliable power in remote communities using off-the-shelf solar panels and batteries that can be interconnected into scalable networks. Okra Solar’s SaaS platform also equips energy companies with remote monitoring, maintenance insights and mobile payments, so that operators can stay informed to prevent blackouts. Okra Solar’s work has been recognised by Forbes, TechCrunch and the Cleantech Forum for its potential to create lasting impact, and it’s investors include Schneider Electric and TepCo Power.

About Creeds Energy: Creeds Renewable Energy Ltd is a professional renewable energy services and solution provider, sustainably addressing energy and electricity challenges by improving energy access for the underserved and unserved, through the promotion of clean and energy efficient solar technologies.

17 August 2022: Hotspot Network Ltd. (HNL), a leading telecommunications service provider, and Husk Power Systems, operator of the largest fleet of rural solar-hybrid microgrids, today announced a partnership in Nigeria to transition mobile towers from diesel generation to solar power, and to bundle electricity and connectivity solutions for off-grid communities.

The two companies have already converted nearly 20 of Hotspot’s mobile towers from diesel to solar, and expect to complete at least 100 projects by the middle of 2023. Nigeria’s estimated 25,000 telecom towers and their base transceiver stations (BTS) use 1.25 million liters of diesel daily. Per tower, that is equivalent to 50 tonnes of avoided CO2 emissions annually if converted to solar.

By working with Husk Power, Hotspot is able to go zero-carbon from design to installation, reducing both capital and operational costs, accelerating their energy transition and avoiding risks from global diesel price volatility. Hotspot can now guarantee 100% clean energy service to mobile and data customers on a 24/7 basis.

In addition, the two companies have started to collaborate in introducing cost-effective energy and digital communications services to off-grid communities. Already two communities where Husk was operating solar microgrids have also accessed mobile coverage for the first time through Hotspot. The previous lack of coverage meant an inability for local businesses and households to take advantage of mobile payment and other digital services.

”By partnering with commercial and industrial businesses, we can speed up Nigeria’s C&I energy transition, and also open up more low carbon, modern services to drive economic opportunities where they didn’t previously exist,” said Husk Nigeria Country Director, Olu Aruike. “For Husk, reliable network coverage also enables us to better serve our customers, which is our ultimate mission.”

According to Founder and Chief Executive of Hotspot Network Ltd, Engr. Morenikeji Aniye, “We believe firmly that the key to unlocking sustained global economic growth is through digital inclusion of the rural communities; providing them with access to the needed tools, funding and the markets to distribute their various commodities and trade. This partnership enables us to deliver on our mission to digitize the unserved and underserved communities more efficiently and sustainably, whilst taking care of our planet.”

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About Hotspot Network Limited: Founded in 2012, Hotspot Network Limited (HNL) provides tower collocation and infrastructure sharing services to mobile operators, as well as a network-as-a-service (NaaS) solution aimed at overcoming the challenges of expanding mobile connectivity in rural areas of Nigeria. For more information, visit: hotspot.com.ng.

About Husk Power Systems: Founded in 2008, Husk Power Systems is the leading net-zero energy services company operating across Asia and Africa. Its smart and sustainable solutions, centered around community solar microgrids, accelerate access to clean, modern and affordable electricity and catalyze socio-economic development. Husk’s focus on the customer meets the growing aspirations of businesses and households, while its grid-integratable solution supports national electrification plans. For more information, visit: huskpowersystems.com.

12 August 2022: Beacon Power Services (BPS) provides data analytics and grid management solutions that enable utilities and Commercial and Industrial (C&I) customers to better manage their energy assets. Founded in 2014, BPS offers electric utilities software and systems to improve the efficiency of electricity distribution. As a result of BPS’s software platforms, utilities are able to reduce technical, commercial and collection losses across their transmission network. A key outcome of better asset management is improved energy access for utility customers: more hours of electricity for the same amount of energy injected into the electricity transmission system. For C&I customers, BPS’s energy management platform allows them to optimize the timing and volume of diesel-generated electricity. The result is lower spending on diesel. This is good both for the environment and user finances.

BPS currently operates in Nigeria and Ghana, and plans to expand its services to other African countries. Persistent is proud to support BPS as it works towards helping businesses and households reduce their energy costs and increase their energy efficiency amidst rising diesel prices.

Utilities delivering electricity to over 8 million customers (households and businesses) use BPS’s utility management platform. A few hundred C&I customers also use their energy services management platform to manage and optimize their energy consumption level and mix. BPS’s approach and relationship with its clients creates unique opportunities to support C&I customers’ desires to optimize their energy mix towards more renewable and lower cost energy options.

Persistent Senior Venture Builder Toukam Ngoufanke says: “At Persistent we believe that platform solutions like BPS create efficiencies and reduce energy waste. Amid rising energy costs in Africa as well as the rest of the World, BPS’s technology is great for the environment, great for households, and great for businesses. This fits right into our mission as Africa’s climate venture builder. We are thrilled to journey with Bim Adisa, BPS’s founder, and his capable team.”

Bim Adisa, an entrepreneur and BPS founder, has a wide experience in energy finance and engineering that spans Africa, North America, Europe and Asia. He is passionate about solving the tough problems that power utilities and their customers across Africa face. BPS’s products today have helped increase daily availability of electricity by over 25% across some of Africa’s largest cities.

BPS’s Bim Adisa says: “It is impossible for Africa to develop without significantly improving energy access and reliability across its major cities. When we realized that the technology designed for developed markets fails to address Africa’s unique infrastructure challenges, we developed our own solution tailored to the continent. We created a way to work with power companies to help increase reliable electricity supply for more hours daily, allowing consumers and businesses to decrease reliance on diesel generation, which reduces environmental pollution.”

3 August 2022: Accessing sustainable financing for off-grid projects and other climate-resilient infrastructure remains a major bottleneck for off-grid Developers across sub-Saharan Africa. With the continuous efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Rural Electrification Agency’s (REA) consistent and deliberate collaboration with private sector players and other critical stakeholders in the nation’s off-grid sector, some of the hurdles mitigating growth in the sector are gradually being eliminated through strategic Public-Private Partnerships.

On the 2nd of August, 2022, the REA, Federal Government’s implementing Agency for the Solar Power Naija (SPN) programme officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company Limited (InfraCredit), a third-party guarantor for approved developers under the SPN programme. The MoU is designed to deepen and strengthen the strategic partnership between the REA through the Solar Power Naija (SPN) Programme and InfraCredit in a bid to catalyse long-term local currency investments into the Nigeria solar off-grid space.

As a key stakeholder in the nation’s financial sector and an institution with a robust history of unlocking potentials for long-term local currency infrastructure finance in Nigeria, InfraCredit has continued to walk in lockstep with the SPN Programme, while ultimately enabling private sector developers within the space to scale the bottlenecks involved in accessing off-grid infrastructure financing.

As a strategic reaction to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SPN Programme was launched as a critical component of the Federal Government’s Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP). The SPN is being implemented by the REA to ultimately meet the objectives of providing renewable energy access to 5 million households, impacting about 25 million Nigerians while providing 250,000 new renewable energy jobs. The Programme also aims to improve local content in the off-grid space by supporting the financing of upstream companies in the business of manufacturing and assembly.

While commending the InfraCredit team, led by its Managing Director, Chinua Azubike, the MD/CEO of REA, Engr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad reiterated the relevance of such deliberate partnerships and the need to consistently support private sector players in the off-grid sector. He added that with the quality of the Facility being provided by InfraCredit under the SPN, developers are able to reach more homes and communities across the nation.

The Managing Director of InfraCredit, while emphasizing the sustained commitment of the REA reaffirmed the company’s commitments to eliminate challenges lenders face within the ecosystem through the simplification of transactions which allows prompt delivery of off-grid infrastructure to Nigerians. He added that the SPN Programme, led by Barbara Izilein, Head SPN, has been supportive so far and they expect this support to continue as they expand their portfolio of clean energy projects in the country.

The Agency’s Executive Director, Technical Services Engr. Barka Sajou expressed his delight about the strategic partnership while commending InfraCredit and other private sector players who have keyed into the REA mandate to provide sustainable energy to the unserved and the underserved.

While urging private sector players to explore opportunities for collaboration with the REA, the Executive Director of the Agency’s Rural electrification Fund (REF), Dr. Sanusi Ohiare commended InfraCredit for its deep understanding of the business of energy in Nigeria. Mr Alaba Netufo, the Agency’s Executive Director, Corporate Services reemphasized the importance of providing guarantees while deploying off-grid infrastructure at scale.

28 July 2022: The African Development Bank today signed a $60 million financial package comprising $50 million subordinated debt to support CRDB Bank’s regional expansion efforts and a senior loan of $10 million to accelerate access to finance for small businesses managed and owned by women in Tanzania.

The facility is coupled with a $175,000 technical assistance grant from the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa Initiative (AFAWA) with support from the Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative to strengthen CRDB’s capacity to support women entrepreneurs in Tanzania to become more bankable.

Similarly, the African Guarantee Fund has signed a guarantee line to CRDB Bank worth $50 million. The line includes the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth component to minimize risk in investing in women-led businesses and further support their growth.

The agreement was signed by Nnenna Nwabufo, the African Development Bank’s Director General for East Africa; Jules Ngankam, Group Chief Executive Officer of the African Guarantee Fund; and Abdulmajid Nsekela, Chief Executive Officer of CRDB Bank PLC. The bouquet of financing will enable CRDB to significantly impact the socio-economic growth of the region by empowering small businesses, especially women, and unleashing their full potential.

Ngankam acknowledged the longstanding relationship between his Fund and CRDB Bank, supporting small and medium enterprises across various sectors. “This tripartite partnership is a game changer, particularly to bridge the financing gap for women entrepreneurs,” Ngankam said.

The African Development Bank’s Nnenna Nwabufo stated that the partnership would, as CRDB expands, enable SMEs to access finance in the region. More importantly, it adds to Tanzania’s efforts to close the gap in access to finance for women entrepreneurs, which is estimated at $1.6 billion.

“We are very excited to have closed this agreement. The subordinated loan facility will improve the CRDB’s overall capitalisation and support future growth and regional expansion without jeopardizing capital ratios. I’d like to thank our long-term partners, the African Development Bank and the African Guarantee Fund for their ongoing support,” said Abdulmajid Nsekela, CEO and Managing Director of CRDB Bank Group. The bank is currently finalizing its move to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while also considering expanding into other East and Central African countries.

Nsekela said the agreement with the Bank and the African Guarantee Fund will support CRDB’s commitment to assisting women-owned SMEs in building resilience and closing the working capital gap. “The $10 million credit line and $50 million guarantee will strengthen our ability to support many women-owned businesses through our Women Access to Finance Initiative, which is run by CRDB Malkia.”

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About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 44 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information, visit: www.afdb.org.

About African Guarantee Fund: African Guarantee Fund (AGF) is a non-bank financial institution whose objective is to promote economic development, increase employment and reduce poverty in Africa by providing financial institutions with guarantee products and capacity development assistance specifically intended to support SMEs in Africa. AGF’s guarantee products are utilized in over 40 African countries.

As a 2X Challenge Investment, AGF is committed to support women-owned and women-led businesses through the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program which aims to unlock up to $ 5 billion for African women businesses by 2026.

African Guarantee Fund has a rating of AA- by Fitch Ratings Agency. For more information, visit: www.africanguaranteefund.com.

About CRDB Bank Plc: CRDB Bank Plc is one of the East Africa’s leading banks, serving individuals, micro, small & middle businesses and large corporations with a full range of Retail, Treasury, Insurance, Trade Finance, Syndications, Premier Banking, Agriculture and Microfinance services.

CRDB Bank is the first bank in Tanzania to be rated amongst the top ten stable and safer to invest African banks by the world’s most respected rating agency, Moody`s Investors Services. Moody`s rated CRDB Bank with a “B1 stable outlook” which is the highest rating to have been acquired by banks or financial institutions in Sub Saharan Africa. UN Green Climate Fund accredits CRDB Bank since November 2019 and Global Finance recognizes it as the Best Bank in Tanzania for the year 2020.

CRDB Bank provides unmatched convenience in Tanzania and Burundi serving more than 3 million customers with a large footprint of 268 branches, 19,000 CRDB Wakala, over 550 ATMs, over 1,500 merchants and a 24/7 Call Centre. For more information, visit: www.crdbbank.co.tz.

• In addition to the $238M off balance sheet facility and other financings closed in the last 6 months, this brings total capital raised for d.light in 2022 to over $300M.

21 July 2022: d.light, a pioneering manufacturer and provider of clean-energy products, today announced a $50 million investment from a consortium of lenders with a focus on the renewable energy space including SunFunder (Mirova SunFunder since June 2022) and TDB (Trade and Development Bank) as Co-arrangers and FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. The investment is structured as a balance sheet debt facility and will enable continued expansion of the company’s solar and Pay-Go consumer finance business in Africa and the launch of new innovative products.

“The investment underpins the catalytic role of the company in making available clean, reliable solar energy solutions through the pay-as-you-go business model that enables off-grid customers to pay for solar lighting products in affordable instalments using various mobile payment options. Significant amounts of capital are required to enable us to continue providing these financing plans for our customers as we grow. We are thankful for the continued support of our funding partners to enable us to create a brighter future for the families we serve as we continue on our journey to impact a billion lives,” said d.light CEO and Co-founder Ned Tozun.

“d.light and SunFunder have been partners for nearly 10 years. We have seen d.light transform over 125 million lives with their products and are happy to have been part of their journey of building a future of clean energy for all,” said Collins Kuindwa who has led the transaction for Mirova SunFunder. “We are delighted to have co-led this syndicate of proactive lenders who worked together with one common goal: to provide d.light with additional capital to transform the lives of 1 billion people with sustainable products by 2030.”

“TDB is pleased to be supporting d.light on their journey to impacting 1 billion lives. Through our triple bottom line approach, we ensure that every transaction we finance is sustainable in economic, social, and environmental terms in our member states. With ongoing CO2 emissions reductions for every household reached, this transaction will create significant environmental impact, while contributing to critical outcomes such as access to electricity, job creation, economic growth, increased health benefits, improved quality of education and more,” said Michel Awori, CEO of TDB.

“The lack of access to energy continues to hold back social and economic development, particularly in SubSaharan Africa. As such, supporting off-grid renewable energy solutions is key to FMO’s strategy,” said Marina Pannekeet, Manager Energy Eastern & Southern Africa at FMO. “As one of the leading providers of solar home systems and an existing FMO equity investee, we are happy to continue to support d.light on its future growth trajectory. By denominating part of our commitment in local currency, our financing is intended to de-risk the company’s balance sheet, and make it more resilient to potential shocks.”

Since its founding, d.light has provided solar energy to more than 125 million people in 70 countries. Their extensive product line ranges from extremely affordable portable solar lanterns to solar home systems and appliances such as TVs, fans, and smartphones.

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About d.light: Founded in 2006 at Stanford, d.light is a global leader in making transformative products available and affordable to low-income families. Most of the customers don’t have access to financing or reliable power, and d.light removes those barriers. 

d.light has sold over 25 million products including solar lanterns, solar home systems, TVs, radios and smartphones, impacting the lives of over 125 million people. Their vision is to transform the lives of 1 billion people with sustainable products by 2030. For more information, visit: https://www.dlight.com.

About Mirova SunFunder: Mirova SunFunder, formed by the acquisition of SunFunder by Mirova in June 2022, has closed more than $175 million in debt financing to 58 solar borrowers in emerging markets, improving energy access for over 10 million people. Investments to date have been in the off-grid solar, mini-grid, productive use, C&I and telco ESCO sectors, in Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Latin America. SunFunder won a UN Global Climate Action Award at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. Its teams are working on a new fund, the Gigaton Empowerment Fund, which aims to raise $500 million, driven by the demand for large-scale financing to scale up climate action and energy access. For more information, visit: www.sunfunder.com.

About Mirova: Mirova is a management company dedicated to sustainable investment and an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers. Through conviction management, Mirova’s goal is to combine long-term value creation and sustainable development. Pioneers in many areas of sustainable finance, Mirova’s talents aim to continue innovating in order to offer their clients solutions with high environmental and social impact. Mirova and its affiliates manage €27.2 billion as of March 31, 2022.

About Natixis Investment Managers: Natixis Investment Managers’ multi-affiliate approach connects clients to the independent thinking and focused expertise of more than 20 active managers. Ranked among the world’s largest asset managers1 with more than $1.3 trillion assets under management2 (€1.187 trillion), Natixis Investment Managers delivers a diverse range of solutions across asset classes, styles, and vehicles, including innovative environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies and products dedicated to advancing sustainable finance. The firm partners with clients in order to understand their unique needs and provide insights and investment solutions tailored to their long-term goals.

About TDB: Established in 1985, the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) is a multilateral, treatybased, investment-grade development finance institution, with 41 sovereign and institutional shareholders and assets of USD 8 bn. TDB serves 22 economies in its region, with the mandate to finance and foster trade, regional economic integration, and sustainable development.

TDB is part of the TDB Group, which also comprises TDF (the Trade and Development Fund), ESATF (the Eastern and Southern African Trade Fund), TCI (TDB Captive Insurance), and the TDB Academy. For more information, visit: www.tdbgroup.org.

About FMO: FMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has a 50-year proven track record of empowering people to employ their skills and improve their quality of life. FMO focuses on three sectors that have high development impact: financial institutions, energy, and agribusiness, food & water. With a committed portfolio of EUR 9.3 billion spanning over 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector developments banks globally. For more information, visit: www.fmo.nl.

• The new agreement supports Ignite’s goals of deploying more than 300k solar home systems in the coming years.

20 July 2022: Ignite Power is pleased to announce the signing of an extended partnership agreement with SNV Mozambique, as part of the implementation of the BRILHO programme, funded by United Kingdom Aid – Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Ukaid-FCDO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The new agreement extends the support by backing Ignite’s goals of deploying more than 300k solar home systems in the coming years, expanding operations into more provinces and districts, and reaching people in thousands of villages.

"To reach large-scale impact, we must combine capital support with smart, digital, and last-mile operations. We are excited to share this vision with the BRILHO Program" — Angela Homsi, Co-founder of Ignite Power.

Operating in Mozambique since 2019 under the Energy For All programme, Ignite has already directly impacted more than 100,000 people in the hardest-to-reach, remote communities. About 70% of Mozambique’s population, more than 21 million people, still lives without access to electricity in their homes. Ignite is on a journey to connect hundreds of thousands of households to sustainable, off-grid solar electricity, impacting millions across the country.

Operating throughout the Sub-Saharan Africa region since 2014, Ignite is offering the most advanced and affordable sustainable life-enabling distributed infrastructure solutions, including solar home systems, solar irrigation pumps, clean cooking stoves, solar home appliances, and more. With a network covering more than 10,000 villages, it has created 3,500 job opportunities in remote communities, with inclusiveness, sustainability, and gender equality leading every step.

With competitive affordability leading operations and a strong focus on last-mile communities, Ignite is a dominant operator in last-mile communities, collaborating with development partners, such as the BRILHO Program, to reach and impact millions of people, no matter their location or financial means. Through advanced digital tools that enable smart verification of every deployment, Ignite ensures that 100% of the capital reaches its proper destination, establishing a vast impact on some of the world’s poorest communities that have long been excluded from modern practices.

“We are proud to collaborate with a leading organization such as SNV, extending our current partnership and operations in the country,” says Angela Homsi, Ignite’s co-founder. “Having electricity at home for the first time is a life-changing event, leading to economic development, better education, a safer, healthier environment, and reductions of greenhouse gasses. These efforts have never been more important in today’s reality and the rising food insecurities”.

“BRILHO’S mandate is to create an ecosystem in the off-grid energy sector in Mozambique, accelerating access to affordable energy solutions, through innovative business initiatives and bringing a diverse offering of products and services to the households. BRILHO is supporting the GoM to develop a more enabling environment, promoting private investment to create a sustainable market in Mozambique,” says Bernie Chaves, Country Director for SNV Mozambique.

“Distributed infrastructure technologies and Results-Based Financing programs proved to be the most affordable, reliable, and sustainable solutions to reach large-scale impact in remote communities across Africa”, says Homsi. “To do the same in Mozambique, we must combine capital support with smart, digital, and last-mile operations. We are excited to share this vision with the BRILHO Program and to jointly support the government in meeting its goals to reach universal access to electricity in the country by 2030 and to lead Mozambique into a more sustainable and clean future”.

13 July 2022: This week, Acumen launched its new Pioneer Energy Investment Initiative: Powering Livelihoods Using Solar (PEII+). PEII+ is a 5-year, $25 million dollar initiative that will invest early-stage capital in companies that provide renewable energy-powered appliances–from mills and irrigation pumps to electric motorbikes and refrigerators–to microentrepreneurs and smallholder farmers in India and East and West Africa. The goal is to leverage these technologies to boost incomes and climate resilience in vulnerable communities.

PEII+ is supported by the IKEA Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Autodesk Foundation, and Distributed Power Fund, and has been awarded follow-on funding with UK Aid from the UK government via the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform. PEII+ is also strategically aligned with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) commitments in India and East and West Africa.

“The United Nations has urged countries to eliminate energy poverty by 2030 as energy access influences many factors people need to live a decent quality of life. That’s why we’re championing our long-term partner Acumen’s PEII+ programme that will invest in expanding the market for renewable energy solutions. These solutions will support families living in poverty to increase their incomes by sustaining their farms and businesses or by providing entrepreneurship opportunities in mobility, food processing and food storage businesses,” said Biswarup Banerjee, programme manager (renewable energy) at IKEA Foundation.

The majority of the world’s poor people are rural and young, and living without access to affordable and sustainable electricity is a major impediment to rising out of poverty. Renewable energy-powered appliances have the potential to more than double incomes by saving time, improving yields, and enhancing resiliency. A solar-powered water pump can be game-changing for a smallholder farmer who depends on costly diesel generators to irrigate their land. Likewise, a solar-powered refrigerator can augment business income for a small shop owner who can keep fish, poultry, dairy, and beverages cool for their customers while avoiding food waste. With climate change creating more uncertainty in vulnerable communities, self-sustaining income is more important than ever.

“To tackle poverty and climate change in this decade, we need to reimagine how low-income communities access and use power. Productive use appliance companies have the potential to transform livelihoods, but lack access to investment capital to support their growth. Alongside our partners, we will continue to invest high-risk, early-stage capital in this next generation of innovations at the intersection of energy access, livelihoods, and climate resilience,” said Sarah Bieber, Head of Energy Partnerships at Acumen.

Acumen launched its first Pioneer Energy Investing Initiative (PEII) in 2017 to support the new wave of energy access entrepreneurs serving communities living in poverty. With its patient capital, Acumen aimed to narrow the off-grid solar industry’s Pioneer Gap, where companies experience the greatest challenge in attracting Seed and Series A equity financing. By 2021, Acumen had invested early-stage equity into 12 energy access companies that went on to attract an additional $128 million from other investors and reach 1.25 million people with energy–40% of whom lived under the $3.20 per day poverty line.

While the pioneer gap remains for early-stage off-grid energy companies, the market has experienced incredible growth in recent years. In fact, capital flows reached an all-time high of $475 million in 2021, up from just $16 million in 2012. At the same time, the sub-sector focused on productive use appliances has emerged as the next frontier of critical, clean energy solutions serving low-income communities. Despite the potential for boosting the livelihoods of communities living in poverty and an estimated addressable market of $11 billion, these clean energy-powered appliance businesses do not receive enough investment to grow and commercialize. With greater access to capital, these companies can scale their operations, streamline the distribution of their products and services and eventually increase the consumer financing that is critical for low-income customers.

“A challenge we have encountered at Koolboks is how to create the balance between selling high-quality products to our customers–mostly low-income small business owners–at an affordable price. This is where investment capital becomes critical to ensure we can continue to serve our customer base with clean cold storage. I celebrate the launch of PEII+ and hope it will catalyze many other investors to start betting on these types of business models,” said Ayoola Dominic, Co-Founder, and CEO of Koolboks, a Nigeria-based pioneer in cold storage with a focus on low-income communities. Koolboks uses pay-as-you-go technology to make solar-powered refrigerators more affordable. In 2020, Acumen joined Nigerian Aruwa Capital Management to close Koolboks’ Seed round.

From 2022 to 2026, Acumen will utilize innovative financial instruments to make early-stage investments in 10 new businesses. It will also run accelerators to cultivate emerging locally-led energy and agricultural businesses, organize convenings, and share insights with the energy access sector and beyond to crowd in more capital and help grow this ecosystem.

One of Acumen’s six productive use of energy investees, S4S Technologies, is an India-based business that created a portable, solar dehydrator that dries vegetables and spices while retaining their nutrients, and works with smallholder farmers and microentrepreneurs, mainly women, to improve their livelihoods. Two years after Acumen’s investment, seven in 10 farmers and nine in 10 entrepreneurs said that their incomes increased because of working with S4S. “Our vision at S4S is to empower every woman smallholder farmer to become a processor so that she can earn additional income and move herself and her family out of poverty. Our business model is proven to benefit communities and the planet. To expand our impact, we need investment capital. Acumen’s PEII+ is providing game-changing support to early-stage businesses like ours that are improving livelihoods while mitigating climate change through the use of clean energy”, said Nidhi Pant, Co-Founder of S4S Technologies.

PEII+ leverages Acumen’s track record of more than 16 years of investing in the energy access sector. Alongside KawiSafi Ventures–Acumen’s for-profit fund focused on energy access in Africa–it has invested in a portfolio of 40 companies that have impacted over 223 million lives and averted 58.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. As we look to the future, in addition to PEII+, Acumen will continue to drive universal energy access by incentivizing and de-risking off-grid solar expansion into hard-to-reach markets and investing growth capital in low-carbon solutions in Africa.

• Zambia’s Ministries of Energy and Health join forces to improve the delivery of health services through solar electrification of unserved health centers.

8 July 2022: The Government of Zambia has today launched an Action Plan charting the way forward in providing reliable and affordable electricity to unserved health centers using solar to improve the quality of services offered to poor and vulnerable communities. This is in line with the government’s goal of providing equitable quality service for all as laid out in the country’s Vision 2030.

Access to electricity is paramount for optimal functioning of a health facility. It means lighting for safe emergency night-time care and childbirth, refrigeration for blood and vaccines, sterilization facilities, and powering simple medical devices. Yet over 70 percent of rural health facilities in Zambia have no access to electricity, compromising the healthcare of more than 60 percent of the rural population.

Furthermore, many of the health facilities are located too far from the grid to be connected and even those with a grid connection often face power outages. Therefore, off-grid solutions present a key opportunity to provide low carbon, reliable and cost-effective electricity to improve the quality of healthcare services.

A call to Action

The Action Plan, which was accompanied by an Open Letter calling upon development partners and the private sector to support the solarization of health centers in the country, was launched by the Minister of Health Hon. Silvia Masebo, MP,  at the Off-Grid Solar (OGS) Investment Forum on July 8, 2022.

Speaking during the event, Hon Masebo noted that the importance of access to reliable electricity in the delivery of essential health services cannot be over-emphasized. It impacts  on the well-being of women and children.

She pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic had highlighted the adverse effect of lack of electricity on health outcomes. It made it difficult to treat patients in need of ventilators and the lack of refrigeration constrained the  administration of the much-needed vaccines.

“It is in this regard that the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Health and  Power for All, in collaboration with other stakeholders, have developed this Action Plan which seeks to assist in making deliberate plans to electrify health facilities using off-grid systems. The collaboration further has a Call to Action, a letter that highlights the urgent action needed to invest in the electrification of the health facilities to improve the quality of services and outcomes,” she said.

The Action Plan was developed in partnership with the Zambian Health Coalition and the Off-Grid Task force.

“We congratulate the Zambia government through the Ministry of Health and Energy for this milestone. It marks the beginning of accelerating not only SDG3 on health but also SDG7 on Universal Energy Access and this will also create opportunities for jobs and improve livelihoods. The solarization of health centers will have a transformative effect on the lives of the rural and urban communities in Zambia. We would also like to acknowledge the role of the Zambian Health Coalition and the Off-Grid Taskforce,” said Anand Pathanjali, Power for All Partnerships and Campaigns Manager while speaking at the event.

The Zambia Off-Grid Investment Forum

The forum was hosted by the Ministry of Energy with support from the UKAID-funded Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE-TAF) and Power for All. In Zambia, ACE TAF has demonstrated the impact of focusing on the nexus between energy and other sectors like health.

The event brought together high-level international and domestic private sector investors and business communities – representatives of social impact, health care and finance to explore areas of collaboration.  It also aimed to raise awareness of the impact and opportunity for electrifying rural health facilities with appropriate solar technologies, thus attracting public and private sector investment for energy in rural clinics and improving health outcomes for millions of Zambians.

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About Power for All: Power for All is a global coalition campaigning to accelerate the end of energy poverty by scaling distributed renewable energy solutions. The campaign represents more than 300 business, finance, and civil society organizations focused on decentralized renewables, including household and business solar, mini-grids and productive use appliances. For more information, visit: www.powerforall.org.

About  the Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE TAF): The Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE TAF) is a 4-year programme funded by the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It aims to catalyse a market based approach for private sector delivery of renewable energy electrification technologies, with a focus on high quality stand-alone solar systems. For more information, visit: https://www.ace-taf.org/.