• The project will assemble experts from the worlds of impact investment, development finance and law.

10 May 2021: The global law firm, DLA Piper, has partnered with Invest Africa (www.InvestAfrica.com), the leading trade and investment platform for African markets, to support the development of ESG best practice in African renewable energy projects.

Clear Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets and measurements have become an increasingly important part of fundraising as investors seek to align their portfolios with sustainable growth. For a continent boasting ample natural resources, this presents a significant opportunity for Africa’s green energy sector. However, renewable does not always equal sustainable and developing and articulating ESG metrics can pose a significant challenge to projects as they prepare investment rounds.

The project will assemble experts from the worlds of impact investment, development finance and law. Across a series of online meetings, participants will discuss strategies to improve ESG practices in African renewable projects from both a fundraising and operational perspective.

Amongst those speaking in the inaugural session on Thursday 13th May are Cathy Oxby, Chief Commercial Officer, Africa Greenco, Dr. Valeria Biurrun-Zaumm, Senior Investment Manager, DEG, Orli Arav, Managing Director - Facility For Energy Inclusion (FEI) - Lion's Head Global Partners, Beatrice Nyabira, Partner, DLA Piper Africa, Kenya (IKM Advocates) and Natasha Luther-Jones, Partner, Global Co-Chair of Energy and Natural Resources, International Co-Head, Sustainability and ESG, DLA Piper.

Veronica Bolton-Smith, COO of Invest Africa said, “Africa is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change despite contributing very little to global emissions. As the price of renewables fall, they will form an ever more important part of Africa’s electrification. In this context, it is essential that projects be given the tools to apply best practice in ESG not only from an environmental perspective but also in terms of good governance, fair working conditions and contribution to social inclusion. I look forward to working closely with DLA Piper on this important topic”.

Natasha Luther-Jones, Global Co-Chair Energy and Natural Resources and International Co-Head Sustainability and ESG at DLA Piper also commented, “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges companies, and people, face today and when we look at its reduction – whether that be in how we power our devices, what we eat or how we dress, where we live or how we work – all roads come back to the need to increase the amount of accessible, and affordable, clean energy. However, renewable energy companies are not automatically sustainable as sustainability is a focus on all ESG factors, not just environmental. We know the need for renewable energy is only going to continue to rise, and therefore so will the number and size of renewable energy companies. The additional challenge is to make sure they are truly sustainable organisations and that’s what we’re excited about discussing during the webinar”.

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About Invest Africa: Invest Africa is a leading business and investment platform, using over sixty years’ experience in Africa to provide its members with unique information and exposure to business opportunities.

Headquartered in London, Invest Africa also operates from four chapter cities: Johannesburg, New York, Dubai and Geneva.

The vision is to play a central and influential role in Africa’s socio-economic growth by guiding sustainable capital towards key prospects on the continent.

As the trusted entry point into Africa, they support and connect business and investment through a unique range of services and events, and their high standards consistently enact our belief that a responsible and profitable private sector has a crucial role to play in Africa’s development.

About DLA Piper: DLA Piper is a global law firm capable of taking care of the most important legal needs of clients wherever they do business. With offices throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, they represent more clients in a broader range of geographies and practice disciplines than virtually any other law firm in the world.

Their lawyers have wide experience in arbitration, banking, competition and trade, as well as corporate crime and corporate finance. They have strong practices in employment, energy, hospitality and leisure, insurance, intellectual property, litigation, mergers and acquisitions and have developed key teams in pensions, private equity, real estate, tax, and technology.

17 May 2021: “Real breakthrough in boosting demand for renewable energy to create sustainable jobs and reduce poverty”.

NINE PIONEERING AFRICAN BUSINESSES are set to markedly grow their positive impact on sub-Saharan Africa communities by stimulating clean energy uptake and, in doing so, growing local economies and empowering women.   

This is thanks to the innovation of the businesses themselves, and support provided through the latest round of PREO (Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities) grant funding.

PREO is a multi-million Euro productive use of energy (PUE) programme co-funded by the IKEA Foundation and UK aid. PREO recognises that while increased energy access is vital to improve livelihoods in rural Africa, this alone is not enough to transform economies. So PREO aims to boost demand for clean energy as a way of creating sustainable jobs, growing economies, reducing poverty and empowering women.

In the next 24 months PREO will provide the eight businesses with €1.36m to pilot new approaches or expand their existing business models. Learnings will be widely shared to unlock PUE opportunities in the region.  

Says Jon Lane, Head of Energy Access at the Carbon Trust that manages PREO: “The projects demonstrate real breakthrough in boosting demand for renewable energy to create sustainable jobs and reduce poverty through economic growth. PREO funding will help accelerate the scale up of these business models, enabling them to do even more for socio-economic advancement locally.”

The nine successful businesses were selected from a pool of 233 applicants, indicating a strong and extremely encouraging trend toward clean energy use in the region, Jon Lane says. Previous PREO grants have been awarded to businesses active in sectors such as transport, health care and education. In this latest round most of the businesses are part of the agricultural value chain, so the PREO grants are assisting the sub-Saharan agriculture sector realise its full potential. 

All grant recipients will undertake research to evaluate the overall socio-economic and environmental impacts of the funded projects, and best practice findings will be shared on the PREO knowledge hub.

The nine PREO grant recipients are:

FRES is setting up a solar mini-grid to power the Sowdjoma shea butter cooperative that serves hundreds of women farmers in Burkina Faso. The farmers will benefit from the fee-for-service system, giving them access to sustainable energy to increase production efficiency, develop innovative agricultural practices and invest in equipment. Ownership of the mini-grid will be transferred to the cooperative farmers via a rent-to-buy scheme.

ClearSky Power is boosting farmer livelihoods in Somaliland through innovative irrigation technology. A photovoltaic powered drip irrigation system will be available to local farmers through a lending scheme. The PREO funded pilot project will reveal how energy savings impact productivity, water use and crop diversification and provide useful insights for the successful roll-out of the business model to more farmers.

A Congolese coffee producer and distributor, Café Kivu is growing its operations by investing in clean energy and by empowering local entrepreneurs. Solar-hybrid bean roasting technology will boost production at Café Kivu. Distribution will be expanded through a franchise licensing and asset loan system, providing local entrepreneurs with mobile coffee carts that will take the brand into the heart of urban centres. In time, Café Kivu will grow its business into US, Middle East, and Asian markets.  

KOOLBOKS is pioneering a sustainable cold storage model that enhances the resilience of female fish traders in the coastal city of Lagos, Nigeria. The system provides off-grid solar refrigerators (together with LED lighting and USB ports) that are made available through microcredit loans and pay-as-you-go financing. It’s a clean alternative to diesel generators and ice blocks. Koolboks also reduces spoilage and improves profitability. 

Solar home system distributor PEG Africa is partnering with water pump manufacturers to distribute solar pumps to Senagalese vegetable, millet and groundnut farmers at a pay as you go price point. With PREO grant support, PEG will grow its supply chain, distribution and after sales network and so give the farmers clean, accessible technology for optimal productivity.

Bodawerk is piloting Agr E-Hub, a new generation energy system that powers new mechanisation opportunities for Ugandan farmers, who continue to rely on manual labour due to the unaffordability of agricultural machinery. Agr E-Hub is a low-cost, multi-purpose tractor, powered by Li-ion battery packs charged through a mini-grid and made available via a pay as you go scheme. This system will spread the mechanisation of tilling, ploughing, threshing, milling and transporting. It will boost both yield and crop value and will offer fresh development prospects for farmers.

Off-grid electrification project REPARLE (Renewable Energy Powering Agriculture and Rural Livelihood Enhancement) will sustainably scale the circular economy model in refugee and host smallholder farming communities in northern Uganda. The company will buy agricultural waste (that’s usually burned) and turn it into clean cooking fuel and displace carbon-based fuels that degrade the environment and harm health. It will also support farming agri-processing activities by providing mini-grid connections, electric vehicles for transporting goods and advanced crop management techniques. 

Practical Action Consulting will empower women smallholder farmers in rural northern Malawi by developing a sustainable, vertically-integrated business model for their crops. In partnership with African Mini-Grids (AMG) and Modern Farming Technologies (MFT), this pilot programme will upskill women farmers by providing a solar drip irrigation system for greenhouses and for solar refrigeration. It will also facilitate sales to boost income from farming. 

Uganda-based Zembo Motorcycles is planning to demonstrate the technical and financial viability of battery swap solar stations for electric motorcycles (e-motorcycles). Right now, Zembo has six stations in Kampala that service 40 e-motorcycles. The intention is to grow into remote and peri-urban rural areas. Extending its network by 120km along the Masaka Road, Zembo will provide the first corridor of solar-powered, off-grid battery recharging stations in Africa.

18 May 2021: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE). The MoU sets out the shared goals of the two organisations to address the various existing barriers hindering access to decentralised renewable energy (DRE) in Nigeria.

The associations will work together on a number of activities, including joint advocacy to create a conducive market environment for DRE actors, accompanying and contributing to the government’s efforts to achieve renewable energy targets as well as targeted business development and market intelligence support for DRE companies.

In this regard, the associations aim to develop the capacity of DRE stakeholders in Nigeria, accelerate the development of the Nigerian DRE sector, create local jobs and increase the capacity of DRE companies to raise financing and unlock increased investments in the renewable energy sector of Nigeria. This will be achieved by spearheading in-person or virtual “DRE Investment Academies” or similar trainings for Nigerian and international DRE developers and other stakeholders, with the aim to provide additional fundraising and technical support.

Finally, the MoU states that the partners will deliver joint offers and support services for Nigerian DRE actors, who work to address energy access, energy security and climate change challenges in Nigeria.

ARE CEO, David Lecoque, confirms: “We are pleased to sign this landmark partnership with the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN). The cooperation fits squarely within ARE’s goal to increase country-level actions and support to boost energy access, also in Nigeria. It is an outcome of the virtual study tours that ARE organises with SolarPowerEurope and National Renewable Energy Associations, supported by the European Programme GET.invest. We strongly believe that we share common values to take concrete steps forward to expand clean and affordable energy access in Nigeria.”

REAN President, Segun Adaju said: “We are delighted to partner with ARE in what is a significant milestone in our relationship. It aligns with our objective of forming strategic partnerships based on shared goals; in this instance, working towards increasing energy access to underserved or unserved Nigerians. Ultimately, we are working together to ensure that renewable energy solutions play a key role.”

ARE Africa Lead, Gabriele Pammesberger, added: “We strongly believe in partnerships and cooperation between national and international organisations as well as in local skills development and capacity building as key drivers towards universal access to energy and hence are delighted to partner with REAN to jointly foster the development of a thriving DRE sector in Nigeria. This MoU is in line with the mandate of ARE’s new Africa Desk, a top partnership between ARE and the African Development Bank.”

• Proparco’s equity funding will enable d.light to provide energy access to millions of people living without reliable energy access.

25 May 2021: d.light, a leading innovator of solar energy products, announced today that it had raised US$10 million in equity financing¹ from Proparco. This latest funding will enable expansion of the company’s solar and Pay-Go consumer finance business in Africa.

Commenting on the investment, d.light co-founder and CEO Ned Tozun said, "We are excited to have Proparco as a d.light shareholder. Proparco’s alignment with our mission and commitment to job creation and development makes them an ideal partner for d.light as we begin our next phase of growth. We have great confidence that we will continue to accelerate and deepen this impact, as we expand our geographic footprint and product portfolio to delight our customers. The future is truly bright for d.light and the off-grid solar industry as a whole.”

Damien Braud, Head of Equity – Africa & Middle East said, “Supporting companies dedicated to improving access to clean, reliable and affordable energy is one of Proparco's top priorities. We are impressed by d.light’s track record in meeting evolving customer needs for access to electricity across both Africa and Asia. Their experienced team has developed efficient sales and distribution channels in these markets and continues to expand their product range. We look forward to supporting the company to realize its growth ambitions.”

Since its founding in 2006, d.light has provided solar energy to more than 100 million people in 70 countries. Their extensive product line ranges from extremely affordable portable solar lanterns to solar home systems that can power multiple lights, mobile phones, and small appliances, including a flat-screen television. d.light’s solar solutions have won multiple international awards for their innovation and design and are sold through more than 30,000 outlets around the world—the largest existing distribution network for these types of products.

With a strong emphasis on product quality and customer service since its earliest days, d.light has built up a loyal customer base in emerging markets. d.light continues to profitably sell hundreds of thousands of units per month, while maintaining excellent quality at scale.

The company is led by a strong team of deeply experienced, internationally recognized leaders and highly committed, talented local staff. Mr. Tozun and Mr. Goldman established an ambitious goal for d.light at its founding: to impact 100 million people by 2020 which was achieved. d.light is now on another ambitious journey to impact 1 billion lives by 2030.

¹ This transaction is subject to customary conditions precedent including regulatory approvals.

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About d.light: Founded in 2006 at Stanford, d.light is a global leader in solar energy, dedicated to providing the most reliable, affordable and accessible solar lighting and power systems for people living in the developing world. d.light provides distributed solar energy to households and small businesses in 70 countries, impacting the lives of over 100 million people. Their mission is to transform 1 billion lives with sustainable products. For more information, visit: www.dlight.com.

About Proparco: Proparco is the private sector financing arm of Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group). It has been promoting sustainable economic, social and environmental development for over 40 years. Proparco provides funding and support to both businesses and financial institutions in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle-East. Its action focuses on the key development sectors: infrastructure, mainly for renewable energies, agribusiness, financial institutions, health and education.

Its operations aim to strengthen the contribution of private players to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the international community in 2015. To this end, Proparco finances companies whose activity contributes to creating jobs and decent incomes, providing essential goods and services and combating climate change. For a World in Common. For more information, visit: www.proparco.fr.

10 June 2021: Countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will expand access to grid electricity to over 1 million people, enhance power system stability for another 3.5 million people, and increase renewable energy integration in the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP). The new Regional Electricity Access and Battery-Energy  Storage Technologies (BEST) Project –approved by the World Bank Group today for a total amount of $465 million— will increase grid connections in fragile areas of the Sahel, build the capacity of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), and strengthen the WAPP’s network operation with battery-energy storage technologies infrastructure. This is a pioneering move that makes way for increased renewable energy generation, transmission, and investment across the region.

“West Africa is on the cusp of a regional power market that promises significant development benefits and potential for private sector participation,” stated Charles Cormier, Practice Manager in the Energy Global Practice at the World Bank. “Bringing electricity to more households and businesses, improving reliability, and harnessing the region’s substantial renewable energy resources—day or night—will help accelerate West Africa’s economic and social transformation.”

Over the past decade, the World Bank has financed close to $2.3 billion of investments in infrastructure and reforms in support of WAPP, considered the key to achieving universal access to electricity by 2030 in the 15 ECOWAS countries. This new project builds on progress and will finance civil works to accelerate access in Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

In Mauritania, rural electrification will be expanded through grid densification of existing substations, which will enable the electrification of Boghe, Kaedi and Selibaby, and neighboring villages along the Southern border with Senegal. Communities in Niger’s River and Central East regions that live near Niger-Nigeria interconnector will also gain grid access, as will communities around substations in Senegal’s Casamance area. Connection charges will be partially subsidized, which will help keep costs down for the estimated 1 million people expected to benefit. 

In Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and eventually Mali, the project will finance BEST equipment to improve the stability of the regional electricity network by increasing the energy reserve in these countries and facilitating integration of variable renewable energy. Battery-energy storage technologies will enable WAPP operators to store renewable energy generated at non-peak hours and dispatch it during peak demand, instead of relying on more carbon-intensive generation technology when the demand is high, the sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing. It is expected that the BEST will further spur private sector participation in the region by supporting the market for renewable energy, as the battery-energy storage capacity installed under this project will be able to accommodate the 793 MW of new solar power capacity that WAPP plans to develop in the three countries.

“These ambitious results will be achieved through a regional approach,” said Ms. Deborah Wetzel, World Bank Director of Regional Integration for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Africa.  “By working together, these countries can optimize investments and economies of scale, harmonize equipment and standards, and synchronize systems to deliver the transformative power of electricity to more people and usher in a new era of low-carbon energy trade.”

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About World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA): The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.5 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 54 percent going to Africa.

• RF’s contribution of up to $150 million aims to de-risk up to $2 billion of private sector investments in distributed renewable energy;
• Both organizations will rapidly deploy an initial contribution of $30 million of the $150 million to leverage an active pipeline of projects;
• The collaboration will prioritize countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of households are unelectrified;
• The partnerships will leverage IFC’s expertise in creating markets and pipeline development in developing countries to increase the scale of private investments into distributed renewable energy.

16 June 2021: The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, and The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) today announced a new partnership that aims to deploy $150 million of RF’s catalytic capital in blended finance to mobilize up to $2 billion of private sector investment in distributed renewable energy solutions.

The partnership will prioritize countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and select other regions, where both organizations have identified immediate opportunities. Ultimately, the list of countries where this partnership will deploy will be broadened during implementation.

By blending philanthropic and private investment funding, the Rockefeller Foundation and IFC will de-risk capital investment in distributed renewable projects in emerging markets and help to address global energy access needs.

An initial “rapid deployment” phase will distribute $30 million in blended concessional finance and grant capital to leverage an active pipeline of distributed renewable energy projects developed by IFC. The funding will go toward IFC’s prototype scaling mini-grid program in addition to distributed renewable energy generation, battery energy storage, and other innovative clean energy technologies to facilitate access.

Several of these components are part of IFC’s Upstream practice, which aims to create markets in the most challenging environments and lays the foundation for future investment projects. The work includes technical assistance, targeted feasibility studies, and cost-sharing support to private sector clients and governments.

The Rockefeller Foundation President, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah said: “Investing in renewable energy infrastructure in communities that have not had access to reliable power will ensure that the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis is both green and equitable. The landscape of energy technologies we are investing in will make it possible for every person on the planet to have totally reliable, productive electrification.“

Dr. Shah added: “The best partnerships are informed by a common goal and an experience of learning together so by combining the expertise and resources of The Rockefeller Foundation with the global footprint of the IFC, we are demonstrating the power of partnerships to deliver real impact.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted progress on achieving clean energy for all, with the number of those lacking electricity in Africa rising to more than 590 million people in 2020, an increase of 13 million people, or 2%, from last year, according to analysis in the World Energy Outlook 2020.

IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop said, “The climate challenge at its core is an energy challenge. The twin goals of improving energy access and addressing climate change both require our urgent attention but can’t be achieved with public resources alone. The private sector can and must be part of the solution if the scale of our results is to meet the scale of our ambitions.”

Mr. Diop continued, “This partnership could not be better aligned with our business, our priorities, or our shared values as we work to build a sustainable recovery. In the months and years ahead, there is terrific opportunity to make positive change together and I am thrilled to be part of this inaugural step.”

IFC is the leading financier of low-cost renewable energy, having funded projects with a generation capacity of approximately 8 GW in hydropower, 6 GW in solar energy, and 5 GW in wind energy. Through its energy practice, IFC supports the growth of wind and solar energy, deployment of offshore wind, battery storage, distributed generation, electric vehicles, and green shipping in emerging markets, among other technologies.

This collaboration between the IFC, which is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries, and The Rockefeller Foundation, a globally renowned philanthropic organization with a decade of expertise in the distributed renewable energy sector, is part of both organizations’ commitment to ending energy poverty and delivering reliable, sustainable power to millions across the world. Together, The Rockefeller Foundation and IFC will be able to mitigate risk and aim to invest towards high impact projects in challenging sectors and countries.

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About The Rockefeller Foundation: The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation, scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, ensuring equitable access to health and nutritious food, unleashing human potential to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal.

About International Finance Corporation: The International Finance Corporation is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. As a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group it is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. To support livelihoods across the word, the IFC apply financial resources, technical expertise, global experience, and innovative thinking to help partners overcome financial, operational, and other challenges. For more information, visit: https://www.ifc.org.

17 June 2021: Today nonprofit Energy Web and ENGIE Energy Access—one of the leading off-grid, Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) solar and mini-grid solutions providers in Africa—announced a partnership to accelerate energy access in sub-Saharan Africa through a decentralized finance (DeFi) crowdfunding platform. The DeFi application will be built on the open-source Energy Web tech stack and enable investors to provide microloans that support clean energy deployment.

In 2019, an estimated 580 million people in sub-Saharan Africa remained off grid and in the dark, accounting for three-quarters of the global population without electricity access. After years of steady declines since 2013, that number has risen in 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Thus rapid deployment of solar home systems (SHSs) and clean energy mini-grids is a crucial humanitarian cause that supports health, quality of life, and economic growth in off-grid regions of the subcontinent.

ENGIE Energy Access integrates and unites ENGIE’s solar home system companies, Fenix International and ENGIE Mobisol, as well as its mini-grids provider, ENGIE PowerCorner, under one entity and one name. “To date, ENGIE Energy Access has served over 1 million customers and 6 million people in 9 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The new DeFi platform in partnership with Energy Web will help ENGIE Energy Access deploy more solar faster, by directly tackling a key challenge: access to low-cost financing, comments Gillian-Alexandre Huart, CEO of ENGIE Energy access”.

“We’re excited to bring crypto-based decentralized finance to rural electrification in  Africa,” said Stefan Zelazny, Head of Software and IT at ENGIE Energy Access and previously CIO at ENGIE Mobisol. “We believe this can accelerate much-needed clean energy deployment throughout the region by connecting impact-oriented investors with unbanked rural customers. Combining the technology that remotely connects and controls our Solar-Home-Systems with the Energy Web Chain will result in the first smart asset-backed NFT where asset use can be controlled via the chain.”

The first phase of this initiative will focus on integrating the Energy Web software tech stack with ENGIE’s platform to further promote rural electrification in Africa. The crowdfunding platform to be developed by Energy Web will allow micro-investors to finance the installation of clean energy assets by staking Energy Web Tokens (EWT), the native token of the Energy Web Chain, in exchange for a fixed interest rate. This setup will unlock capital from the global cryptocurrency market, bringing a significant new source of capital to clean energy deployment in Africa. To help mitigate the risk for everybody involved, the Community Fund of Energy Web will back this first phase of the platform. Giving people in Africa access to new green electricity solutions utilizing the Energy Web DOS is a great first use case for the Community Fund.

In the second phase, Energy Web will work together with ENGIE Energy Access to give a unique decentralized identifier (DID) to each one of the home appliances and rooftop solar deployed by ENGIE. This way, one can directly add credits to the appliances owned by locals to support their access to electricity and its services. 

“Creating positive impact in people's lives is one of our core principles at Energy Web. But the global energy transition must also reach those who don’t yet have access to electricity,” explained Energy Web’s Walter Kok. “We are happy that ENGIE—one of the biggest energy players in the world and one of the founding members of the Energy Web Chain—has embraced the Energy Web technology stack to support such an important mission.”

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About ENGIE Energy Access: ENGIE Energy Access is the leading Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) and mini-grids solutions provider in Africa, with a mission to deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable energy solutions and life-changing services with exceptional customer experience. The company is a result of the integration of Fenix International, ENGIE Mobisol and ENGIE PowerCorner; and develops innovative, off-grid solar solutions for homes, public services and businesses, enabling customers and distribution partners access to clean, affordable energy. The PAYGo solar home systems are financed through affordable installments from $0.14 per day and the mini-grids foster economic development by enabling electrical productive use and triggering business opportunities for entrepreneurs in rural communities. With over 1,700 employees, operations in nine countries across Africa (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), over 1 million customers and 6 million lives impacted so far, ENGIE Energy Access aims to remain the leading clean energy company, serving millions of customers across Africa by 2025. For more information, visit: https://engie-energyaccess.com/.

About Energy Web: Energy Web is a global, member-driven nonprofit accelerating the low-carbon, customer-centric energy transition by unleashing the potential of open-source, digital technologies. We enable any energy asset, owned by any customer, to participate in any energy market. The Energy Web Chain — the world’s first enterprise-grade, public blockchain tailored to the energy sector — anchors our tech stack. The Energy Web ecosystem comprises leading utilities, grid operators, renewable energy developers, corporate energy buyers, IoT / telecom leaders, and others. For more information, visit: https://energyweb.org. 

• Single largest distributed renewable energy initiative aims to reduce 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and improve 1 billion lives by:
  • Kick-starting post-pandemic economic recovery;
  • Enabling emerging economies to leapfrog to renewable energy.
• The initiative will be operated through a new global platform , launching in 2021.

21 June 2021: The IKEA Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation today announce they will join forces to set up a $1 billion global platform to fight climate change and energy poverty. The platform – launching this year – aims to reduce 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and to empower 1 billion people with distributed renewable energy (DRE). This is renewable energy generated from sources such as mini-grid and off-grid solutions, located near the point of use, rather than centralized sources like power plants. The new global platform will oversee the organizations’ combined matching funds. It aims to deliver clean and reliable power to the 800 million people worldwide who lack electricity, and a further 2.8 billion who have unreliable access. It will be run as a public charity to manage a concerted effort to rapidly channel development funds to life-changing projects on the ground.

While funding to support energy transition has increased at a global level, many organizations struggle to identify viable, investment-ready projects. As a result, many emerging economies still depend on unreliable and polluting energy sources. By creating a platform to deploy catalytic capital more efficiently, and at scale that supports the expansion of local renewable energy projects, governments will be better able to achieve renewable electrification and development targets.

“If global energy consumption doesn’t change from fossil fuels to renewable energy, we will not meet the Paris Agreement ambitions and millions of families will be left behind in poverty. We need to be honest and recognize that the current approach is not delivering the impact the world needs in the time that we have,” said Per Heggenes, CEO IKEA Foundation.

“Our collective ambition is to create a platform that supports renewable energy programmes which can deliver greenhouse gas reductions fast and efficiently and accelerate the energy transition. We need to replace polluting sources of energy with renewable ones, provide access to energy to communities and unlock further funding for sustainable models. Ultimately, we aim to unite countries and communities in urgent action to tackle the climate crisis, reduce 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and, by doing so, we hope to positively impact the lives of 1 billion people,” Per added.

“Millions of lives and trillions of dollars have been lost to Covid 19, forcing people back into poverty after decades of progress. The effects of the climate crisis will make this even worse, which is why we must invest now to reverse this downward spiral,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation.

He added: “Big, bold, and pioneering collaboration and investment is required not only for the short term, but also the long term, to galvanize a better future. That is why we are announcing our largest commitment to date and joining forces with IKEA Foundation to double that investment. Our partnership will unlock the financing and resources that are essential to provide clean, reliable electricity that improves the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere.”

To facilitate the joint investment, The Rockefeller Foundation will incubate the platform in RF Catalytic Capital Inc., which the foundation launched in 2020. This offers an innovative way for impact investors, and governments to combine their resources and expand their global philanthropic reach.

The Rockefeller Foundation and the IKEA Foundation have a shared mission, backed by expertise and funds to achieve large scale greenhouse gas emission reductions and look forward to partnering together to improve lives and livelihoods around the world.

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About the IKEA Foundation: The IKEA Foundation is an independent philanthropy focused on creating brighter lives on a liveable planet through its grant giving efforts. It is funded by INGKA Foundation, owner of Ingka Group. For more information, visit: www.ikeafoundation.org.

About the Rockefeller Foundation: The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. They work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. Their focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food.

21 June 2021: Everyone in the world could have access to clean, affordable energy within the next nine years if countries modestly increase investments, according to new reports released Friday, in the recent of a major ministerial meeting on 21-25 June where countries and businesses will begin to announce energy plans for the decade.

Annual investments of around $35 billion could bring electricity access for 759 million people who currently lack it, and $25 billion a year can help 2.6 billion people gain access to clean cooking between now and 2030. The required investment represents only a small fraction of the multi-trillion-dollar global energy investment needed overall, but would bring huge benefits to one-third of the world’s population.

The recommendations on energy access are part of a proposed global roadmap with concrete actions to achieve clean, affordable energy for all by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050, launched by the United Nations Friday, to set the groundwork for a large-scale mobilization of commitments this year.

National and city governments, foundations and businesses are expected to start announcing significant commitments in the form of “Energy Compacts” at Ministerial Forums to be held 21-25 June, driving action towards a High-level Dialogue on Energy, a summit to be convened by the UN in September. Major Energy Compact commitments and partnerships for clean electricity access and cooking solutions are among those expected to be announced during the June Forums, which are co-hosted by thirty Global Champion countries.

“The ambitious energy compacts being put forward by countries, businesses, cities, and many other partners are a spark of hope for achieving a just transition towards sustainable energy and for improving the lives of millions of people in the process,” said Dialogue Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “But this is only the beginning and we need much more commitment and concrete action at this year’s High-level Dialogue on Energy to get where we need to be by 2030.”

The proposed roadmap, which will inform the High-level Dialogue on Energy in September and be considered in the political statement resulting from the summit, is based on reports submitted by five Technical Working Groups that have brought together over 160 experts since March, co-led by 16 UN and international organizations, grouped by thematic focus. The five focus areas are: energy access; energy transition; enabling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through inclusive, just energy transitions; innovation, technology and data; and finance and investment.

A system overhaul to speed up energy transition

In order to achieve the SDGs and Paris Agreement targets, energy transition must become a transformational effort, a system overhaul, the proposed roadmap suggests. The reports recommend a rapid scale-up of available solutions to reach 8000 GW of renewables by 2030 from 2800 GW currently, and to increase the average annual rate of energy efficiency improvement from the current 0.8 to 3 per cent. By 2025, 100 countries should establish targets for 100% renewable-based power, and there should be no new coal plants in the pipeline globally. The share of fossil fuels in the global mix would fall from the current 60 per cent to 30 per cent by 2030.

The proposed roadmap also calls for countries to phase out coal by 2030 in wealthier countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and by 2040 in non-OECD countries, recognizing that many developing countries will need support for this process. By 2050, 92 per cent of power would come from renewable technologies.

“The energy revolution is underway, but 759 million people still live without electricity and the opportunities it provides,” said Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme and Co-Chair of the High-level Dialogue. “It is one of the most blatant examples of inequality in our world today. Affordable clean energy access for all is the foundation for achieving a global energy transition that is fast and fair.”

A just and inclusive transition to achieve the SDGs

“At the upcoming Ministerial Forums, we will see bold commitments put forward as Energy Compacts as well as large financial commitments from partner institutions, and we need more of them, to ensure we leave no one behind and that we transition in a just and inclusive manner to net zero by 2050,” said his Co-Chair, Damilola Ogunbiyi, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sustainable Energy for All. “This is an opportunity of our lifetime to provide universal energy access by leveraging new partnerships and technologies, and funding innovations that can create a cleaner, brighter and more equitable economic future.”

The reports indicate that a just and inclusive energy transition can create 30 million new jobs in sustainable energy by 2030 and 42 million by 2050. They call for ensuring gender equality in all aspects of energy transition, including more women taking on roles as engineers, policymakers and entrepreneurs. The reports argue that every country and region should integrate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework for energy transition strategies. Policymakers must explicitly prioritize the needs of vulnerable groups in order to enable an inclusive and just energy transformation and achievement of all the SDGs.

Scaling up energy innovation and new technologies

On the role of innovation and technology, the proposed roadmap calls for scaling up research and development (R&D) and investment to align with the 2030 and 2050 goals, recognizing that private energy R&D funding has increased 40 per cent since 2010. Global investment in renewable energy capacity reached around $300 billion in 2019, with only 5 per cent invested in Africa, home to 82 per cent of those living without energy access.

The reports also acknowledge that many technologies for achieving the 2030 and 2050 goals exist but require innovations that accelerate and scale-up their deployment. In addition, the reports call for increased financing and investment to address lack of finance for local energy innovations in developing countries. Data systems need to be enhanced to better inform energy policies and direct investment decisions.

A tripling of clean energy investment by 2030

Recommendations on financing and investment needed to achieve the 2030 and 2050 energy targets call for a tripling of clean energy investment to $5 trillion per year by 2030. The trillions of dollars in investments needed can be supported by scaling up the use of blended finance mechanisms and multilateral portfolio guarantees coupled with results-based financing, de-risking instruments and commercial financing, as well as reducing regulatory barriers to attract private investment.

The Energy Compacts announced at the June Forums will be made public and tracked in an online database, with annual reporting through 2030. It is expected that many more commitments will be announced towards the September High-level Dialogue from national and local governments, businesses, foundations and civil society organizations.

• Westa.Solar has delivered its first 500kWp solar PPA project to Petrichor Industries in Nigeria.

24 June 2021: RP Global, a leading renewable energy developer and investor, and OOLU, leader in energy access solutions in West Africa, announce the launch of Westa.Solar, a Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Solar Venture in West Africa, and the deployment of its first solar PPA project in Nigeria.

The 500kWp solar installation will supply Petrichor Industries with almost a quarter of its energy needs as well as improve its resilience against frequent power outages. It will also enable the company to minimize its reliance on diesel generators, thereby reducing both its overall energy costs and carbon footprint. The project was jointly financed by Westa.Solar and a grant from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office.

Over the next few years, Westa.Solar intends to develop and implement a large pipeline of C&I solar projects in West Africa, supporting business development and increasing penetration of renewable energies across the country.

Located in Kano State, northern Nigeria, Petrichor Industries specializes in the manufacture of packaging products. Like many businesses in Nigeria, growth opportunities are constrained by expensive electricity tariffs and an unstable grid, with the frequent stop-start of power outages limiting production and increasing operating and maintenance costs. Westa.Solar’s customized solutions provide Petrichor with the security of a low cost, robust and reliable energy source fully adapted to meet its needs.

Kolawole Akinboye, Westa.Solar Nigeria Country Manager explained: “This is the first of what we hope to be many solar power projects for C&I companies in Nigeria. This Solar PV installation is projected to help Petrichor generate savings of over N235 million over the next 10 years and support its long-term growth ambitions. Our solar hybrid systems are a great solution for businesses with high energy needs. Ranging from 50kW to 5MW, our systems are fully customized to meet client demand. By providing a reliable supply at a competitive price we offer greater financial predictability and contribute to decarbonizing the Nigerian energy mix.”

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About RP Global: RP Global is an independent power producer that draws its expertise from over 35 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, in which it implemented over 40 projects. As a developer, investor and operator, the company’s focus is on hydro, wind and solar PV projects. Currently, RP Global is actively developing a pipeline of around 9 GW.

The company's international team is currently active in Europe, South America and Africa, and is a founding partner of ‘Enery’, building an operating and greenfield PV portfolio in Eastern Europe, and PPA advisory ‘Pexapark’. Headquarters are in Vienna, Austria, and Madrid, Spain. For more information, visit: http://www.rp-global.com.

About OOLU: OOLU is a for-profit, social impact focused on increasing access to renewable energy for customers with unreliable grid access or completely off-grid. Operating in West Africa since 2015, Oolu is a leader in distributing, installing and financing solar energy solutions having developed a proprietary management platform and a capillary distribution network.

Today, OOLU has operations in five West African countries (Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger) and has sold over 60,000 solar home systems. For more information, visit: https://oolusolar.com/.

25 June 2021: Organised by the East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (EACREEE) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), the 2nd edition of the Sustainable Energy Forum for East Africa (SEFEA) took place virtually from 22 to 24 June 2021. The event was supported by GET.invest, a European programme supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria; and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). It was held in English and French with simultaneous translations.

More than 1,150 participants from 90 countries joined this major event. Over 50 experts brought deep insights into the role of decentralised renewable energies (DRE) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the East African Community (EAC) region.

Caroline Adriaensen, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Uganda underlined that: “Bridging the access gap by 2030 requires an approach that is commensurate with the size of the problem. In Uganda, the overnight investment cost of a universal electrification programme by 2030 has been roughly estimated at between USD 5.22 and USD 4.45 billion, according to the most recent electrification plans in the National Electrification Strategy. Attracting the volume of investment that will be necessary during the 2021-2030 decade will not be possible without ambitious reforms in the distribution sector both on and off-grid. This will also require a convincing business plan for the next decade with innovative financing models that allow de-risking and guaranteeing the private investment while keeping affordable tariffs for households, businesses and industries.”

The massive deployment of DRE promises to deliver vast socio-economic benefits in the EAC region, creating jobs, mitigating climate change, improving healthcare and education, as well as boosting energy security. To achieve this, major public and private sector investments are required. A high-level panel, featuring UNIDO, Ministries of Energy of Uganda and Kenya, the Austrian Development Cooperation, the African Development Bank and PowerGen, discussed current challenges on how to scale such investments in the EAC, and shared public and private sector perspectives on how to solve these issues.

Eng. Dr. Mackay Okure, Interim Executive Director of EACREEE stated that: “EACREEE makes a pivotal contribution at SEFEA to the EAC’s energy security agenda by sharing information on the challenges, opportunities and best practices in the region. Drawing on the support of international partners including ARE, GET.invest and UNIDO, SEFEA signifies the crucial role of global and local actors in catalysing expansion of modern energy markets that will speed up the socio-economic development of the region and aid in recovery from effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The event featured presentations from the public sector, corporate and civil society stakeholders interactive topical discussions on energy efficient lighting & appliances, innovative financing of productive uses of energy & cold chain and clean cooking in the EAC region as well as pitches from private sector companies and startups offering innovative DRE solutions and business models. Over 300 virtual 1:1 meetings already took place during the GET.invest Matchmaking, which will last until 30 June. In addition, ARE, for the first-time, highlighted DRE in Burundi by hosting a dedicated deep-dive workshop.

David Lecoque, CEO of ARE said: “At ARE, we are honoured to be the co-organiser of the second SEFEA and to collaborate with EACREEE, GET.invest and UNIDO on concretely advancing the electrification in East Africa and supporting domestic businesses, national associations and governments in their efforts to achieve SDGs by 2030. We must build on the fruitful discussions and ignite massive and rapid deployment of decentralised renewables across East Africa.”

SEFEA showed that DRE technologies will remain the cornerstone in harnessing the region’s vast renewable energy and energy efficiency potentials and achieving the vision of the EAC for a prosperous regional sustainable energy market.

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About Alliance for Rural Electrification: The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is an international business association with the aim to promote a sustainable decentralised renewable energy industry for the 21st century, activating markets for affordable energy services, and creating local jobs and inclusive economies. ARE enables improved energy access through business development support for more than 175 Members along the whole value chain for off-grid technologies. For more information, visit: http://www.ruralelec.org/.

About East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency: The East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (EACREEE) plays a key role in promoting renewable energies and energy efficiency in the East African Community (EAC) region. Through its activities in the areas of policy, capacity development, knowledge management, and awareness raising, as well as business and investment promotion, EACREEE aims to create an enabling environment by mitigating existing barriers and in promoting a competitive sustainable energy market, as well as economies of scale in the EAC region. EACREEE will continue to execute regional projects programmes and activities in the above areas and in addition showing leadership in the coordination and harmonization of donor activities and acting as a regional hub for the SEforALL initiative. For more information, visit: https://www.eacreee.org/.

About GET.invest: GET.invest is a European programme which supports investments in decentralised renewable energy. The programme targets private sector business and project developers, financiers and regulators to build sustainable energy markets in developing countries. Services include market information, a funding database, matchmaking events and access-to-finance advisory. The programme is supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Austria, and works closely with initiatives and business associations in the energy sector. For more information, visit: https://www.get-invest.eu/.

About UNIDO: UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013, as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. For more information, visit: https://www.unido.org/.

28 June 2021: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Solar Industry Association of Zambia (SIAZ) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE). The MoU sets out the shared goals of the two organisations to support the transition to renewable energy sources in the country’s efforts towards achievement of universal access to energy, with a particular focus on the abundant solar energy potential in Zambia.

The associations will work together on a number of activities, including joint advocacy to create a conducive and enabling environment for a sustainable decentralised solar energy market and to promote the use of renewable energy technologies in Zambia by means of knowledge and information dissemination, networking between public and private stakeholders, institutional capacity building as well as targeted business development and market intelligence support for decentralised renewable energy (DRE) companies.

In this regard, the associations aim to cooperate on targeted skills development and capacity building activities for renewable energy stakeholders in Zambia to create local jobs and enhance the capacity of the sector to raise increased financing for renewable energy projects and businesses. This will be achieved by spearheading in-person or virtual “DRE Investment Academies” or similar trainings for Zambian and international DRE project developers and other stakeholders, with the aim to provide additional fundraising and technical support.

Finally, the MoU states that the partners will support services for Zambian renewable energy actors who work to address energy access, energy security and climate change challenges in Zambia and conduct research to foster the market for renewable energy technologies.

SIAZ Chairperson, Matanda Mwewa, said: "SIAZ is excited to have this formal partnership with ARE. We are confident that this partnership will help the solar industry and its members to create an enabling environment for a sustainable decentralised solar energy market and to promote the use of renewable energy technologies in Zambia. SIAZ recognises that the industry has challenges, but in those challenges there also lie opportunities. We believe that the partnership between SIAZ and ARE will have a mutually beneficial feedback loop, which will allow both to learn from each other and develop next generation solutions that will shape the future for Zambia and Africa at large.’’

ARE CEO, David Lecoque, commented: “We are delighted to sign this MoU with SIAZ. The cooperation fits squarely within ARE’s goal to increase country-level actions and support to boost clean energy access, also in Zambia. It is an outcome of the virtual study tours that ARE organises with Solar Power Europe and National Renewable Energy Associations, supported by the European Programme GET.invest. We strongly believe that we share common values to take concrete steps forward to expand clean and affordable energy access in Zambia.”

ARE Africa Lead, Gabriele Pammesberger, added: “We are very pleased to enter into this partnership with SIAZ to jointly foster the development of a thriving, private sector-driven renewable energy sector in Zambia that contributes to a green, sustainable and inclusive transformation, and improved livelihoods and climate resilience, especially of rural populations. Knowledge exchange, skills development and capacity building will lie at the heart of our cooperation.”

• Newly founded Berlin-based company develops decentralized and sustainable energy systems for Africa;
• Strengthens position in areas of electrification and decarbonization on the African market.

28 June 2021: Rolls-Royce is investing in Berlin-based start-up Kowry Energy GmbH, a provider of sustainable and decentralized energy systems. Kowry supports the sustainable expansion of energy infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa by combining renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and battery storage systems.

"The African market for decentralized energy supply offers great potential. The geographical conditions provide an opportunity to build a climate-friendly, local power supply for industrial and community customers that operates with minimum use of fossil fuels. As a young company, Kowry Energy can adapt to the realities of the fast-growing African energy market. Rolls-Royce as investor and industry partner provides Kowry Energy with strong positioning in the market. The start-up can rely on our support and know-how in implementing their projects," explained Power Systems CFO Louise Öfverström.

“We believe that solving the climate challenge facing our planet will only succeed with the inclusion of the 600 million people of Sub-Saharan Africa who are living without energy today. This requires innovative business-models that enable sustainable energy access with scale and speed. With a scale-based business model and Rolls-Royce Power Systems as our investor we are confident that Kowry Energy will achieve this,” explained founder Ndiarka Mbodji.

In cooperation with local independent power providers and operators, Kowry Energy will supply energy solutions using photovoltaic systems and battery storage for demand of up to 1MW. This minimizes the use of fossil fuels and makes optimal use of the climatic conditions in Africa. Kowry Energy supports its customers every step of the way - from project development & design to sourcing equipment and offers its customers fully integrated hybrid solutions. 

“We are excited to be launching this year in Mali and Nigeria and to see our business model validated by a current projects pipeline of $ 17 millions and growing rapidly, and I look forward to welcoming more investors committed to sustainable energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Mbodji added.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc:

1. Rolls-Royce pioneers the power that matters to connect, power and protect society. We have pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in our operations by 2030 [excluding product testing] and joined the UN Race to Zero campaign in 2020, affirming our ambition to play a fundamental role in enabling the sectors in which we operate achieve net zero carbon by 2050;
2. Rolls-Royce Power Systems is headquartered in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany and employs around 9,000 people. The product portfolio includes mtu-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, power generation, heavy land, rail and defence vehicles and for the oil and gas industry as well as diesel and gas systems and battery containers for mission critical, standby and continuous power, combined generation of heat and power, and microgrids;
3. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers;
4. Annual underlying revenue was £11.76 billion in 2020 and we invested £1.25 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.

1 July 2021: SolarAid and Statkraft have announced a strategic partnership to tackle poverty and climate change. Statkraft intends to support the charity with donations totalling £2m to be paid over three years. There are 548 million people living without electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, impacting their ability to learn, work and feel safe after dark.

Through the partnership with SolarAid, Statkraft will support progress to reach the 7th UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”. For the first time since 2013 the number of people who do not have access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to increase and could reach as many as 630 million if economic recovery slows, and action is not taken.

Access to power is essential for rural health clinics across Africa. Statkraft’s partnership with SolarAid will also fund solar power access for clinics that currently operate without access to reliable electricity. Power for fridges, equipment and lighting is essential to care, and solar power ensures that healthcare staff will not have to carry out life threatening procedures in the dark. Care can be administered safely, and drugs – including vaccines for Covid-19 – can be kept at the right temperature.

Christian Rynning-Tønnesen, CEO of Statkraft, says: “548 million people live without the benefit of electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Solar power is a simple and cost-effective solution for those who have no choice but to rely on expensive and toxic kerosene or dangerous candles. We are delighted to be working with a charity with such a critical mission. This partnership was sparked with the acquisition of Solarcentury in 2020, and we are happy to work with SolarAid to help ensure access to modern energy for all.”

John Keane, CEO of SolarAid, says: “We’re delighted that our long and successful partnership will continue now that Solarcentury has merged into Statkraft. While grid electrification is not going to reach most of rural sub-Saharan Africa in our lifetimes, the solar light revolution is taking place right now, helping light up millions of homes, which would otherwise be kept in the dark. Together we can end the darkness.”

1 July 2021: We are announcing a new grant awarded by KawiSafi Ventures Limited through the KawiSafi Technical Assistance Facility, to ensure energy access to the customers in Kenya and Rwanda who have been the most negatively impacted by the pandemic.  

At Bboxx, we have a strong history of positively impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in East Africa with access to clean, reliable and affordable energy. We manufacture, distribute and finance decentralised solar powered systems across the region – and we have been leveraging our innovative Internet of Things technology to commercially scale access to vital utilities and power sustainable economic development. 

The grant is a uniquely customer-facing support mechanism that will go towards Bboxx customers impacted by Covid-19, specifically in Rwanda and Kenya. Bold and smart financing like this enables us to help thousands of customers who have been most affected by Covid-19. It will give customers up to three months of free energy access and after-sales service to maintain their solar home systems (SHS), taking off the financial pressure while ensuring they can still access vital energy.  

It acts as a continuation of the ‘crisis energy’ schemes Bboxx introduced last year in some of our markets, where we provided bonus days of energy for free for customers who paid upfront. While demand for energy – an essential need – has remained robust throughout the pandemic, innovations like these are important to safeguard customer segments who may have been adversely impacted.   

Since the pandemic hit last March, causing economic uncertainty for many across the globe, the off-grid energy sector has remained resilient and will play a significant role in the post-pandemic green economic recovery.  

It is encouraging to see the sector increasingly recognise the urgent need to take action on tackling energy poverty. We urge more partnerships like these to ensure we can continue to accelerate access to energy and advance UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 – energy for all.  

Reaching SDG 7 is essential to empower people, businesses, communities and whole countries to unlock their potential. Access to energy is the trigger for economic growth as it powers sustainable development by providing opportunities not previously possible. 

To ensure we can collectively continue to make progress towards this goal and positively impact more lives, we need greater funding from the private sector as well as partnerships with governments to deliver financial support to those living in energy poverty. Only then will we be able to truly unleash the opportunities provided by clean, reliable and affordable electricity.

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About Bboxx: Bboxx is a next generation utility, transforming lives and unlocking potential through access to energy. Bboxx manufactures, distributes and finances decentralised solar powered systems in developing countries. It is scaling through forging strategic partnerships and its innovative technology Bboxx Pulse®, a comprehensive management platform using IoT technology. Through affordable, reliable, and clean utility provision, Bboxx is bringing people into the digital economy, creating new markets, and enabling economic development in off-grid communities and those living without a reliable grid connection. The company is positively impacting the lives of more than one million people with its products and services in over 35 markets, directly contributing to 11 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

So far, Bboxx has deployed more than 350,000 solar home systems. Bboxx has over 800 staff across nine offices including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and Togo, with its head office in the UK and its manufacturing operations in China. In 2019, Bboxx was the winner of the Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Energy category – testament to the way the company is making a meaningful difference to people’s lives around the world. For more information, visit: https://www.bboxx.com/.

About KawiSafi Ventures Limited: KawiSafi is an East Africa focused fund and invests in companies that provide and enable access to clean energy products and services to low-income and off-grid populations.  KawiSafi invests growth capital in proven business models that address key market gaps and aims to deliver ambitious impact objectives and market-competitive returns. 

About KawiSafi Ventures Limited: The KawiSafi Ventures Technical Assistance Facility (KSV TAF) is a 5-year program officially launched in April 2020. The KSV TAF has been seeded with US$ 5 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF)and aims to address targeted market failures or externalities in the off-grid energy ecosystem. It is designed to provide both firm-level and sector-level support that falls outside the typical investment activities but which if implemented, would support positive impacts for communities in East Africa. Such support includes consumer protection, promoting gender inclusion and knowledge creation. 

2 July 2021: EnDev is launching a renewables project in partnership with the IKEA Foundation on 6 July at the Vienna Energy Forum. This three-year project aims to empower the agricultural sector by working closely with smallholder farmers, agri-businesses and solar enterprises in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

The IKEA Foundation has provided an €8 milliongrant to support EnDev’s efforts to demonstrate the feasibility of productive use of renewable energy.Through the initiative, the IKEA Foundation and EnDev join forces to improve access to renewable energy solutions. In turn, this can enable smallholder farmers and people in rural communities to afford a better life and increase their resilience to climate change.

Upcoming pilot projects will include work on agricultural activities such as milk cooling and vegetable drying and the development of an energy hub.

Jeffrey Prins, Head of Renewable Energy at the IKEA Foundation, says: “Investing in access to renewable energy will not only help improve livelihood opportunities and increase incomes, but also reduce GHG emissions. A lack of access to sustainable and affordable energy prevents smallholder farmers and related local businesses from achieving increased productivity, higher income and food-secure livelihoods. This is why EnDev is needed, and we’re proud to fund this project.”

In Sub-Saharan Africa, most food crops are produced by an estimated 33 million smallholding farms, yet yields are the lowest in the world. Most of those smallholder farmers living on less than 1.90 USD per day are situated in rural areas and dependent on agriculture. At the same time, climate change impacts in Africa increase disproportionately.

“Solar energy is still underused in the agricultural sector because there are too few scalable business cases. It is great that together with the private sector and its experience, we can drive even more innovation in the agricultural sector,” says Daniel Busche, programme director at EnDev.

The project builds on the success of EnDev, which, since its inception in 2005, has provided 23.8 million people in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America with sustainable energy access and reduced 2.3 million tonnes of CO2e.

Implementation of impactful business cases will be jointly handled by the Gesellschaft fuer international Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

Attend the project launch online:

The project launch takes place at the Vienna Energy Forum 2021 during a side event on 6 July, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (CET). See https://www.viennaenergyforum.org.

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About the IKEA Foundation: The IKEA Foundation is an independent philanthropy focused on creating brighter lives on a liveable planet through its grant giving efforts. It is funded by INGKA Foundation, owner of Ingka Group. For more information, visit: www.ikeafoundation.org.

About EnDev: EnDev improves the lives of the most vulnerable by providing access to sustainable energy in 21 countries worldwide. Currently, EnDev is funded by Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland and coordinated jointly by GIZ and RVO.nl. The strategic partnership is working with experienced implementers with the SNV being one of the most prominent partners. For more information, visit: www.endev.info.

5 July 2021: RES4African Foundation and EnGreen signed an agreement to jointly boost the promotion of renewable energy solutions in Africa. The Rome-based Foundation and the service provider signed a letter of intent identifying training and capacity building, advocacy and knowledge sharing as main fields of cooperation. 

Since 2012, the no-profit Foundation RES4Africa gathers members across the green energy value chain with the mission to create enabling environments for renewable energy investments in African countries. On the other hand, EnGreen is a network of qualified professionals providing advisory, design and execution services on off-grid renewable energy systems in developing countries, including several African states. The clear synergies among their goals and missions bring the two organisations to confirm their intentions as partners. In particular, they agreed on sharing knowledge and expertise relating to renewable energy technological advancements, policies, innovative business models and best practices; carrying out studies of market, commercial, technical and economic nature related to RE technologies green hydrogen, energy transition, grid access and renewable energy integration; organising outreach and advocacy initiatives, such as events, conferences and webinars; collaborating in the organization and promotion of training and capacity building initiatives for local workforce development, such as the RES4Africa’s Micro-Grid Academy programme.

“Supporting Africa in achieving universal access to energy by 2030 means empowering local workforce and building new generations of skilled professionals, committed in creating a sustainable future.” commented Roberto Vigotti, RES4Africa’s Secretary General “At RES4Africa, we are proud to stand with Africa in this path, and doing so in collaboration with other innovative entities such as Engreen brings us closer to this goal”.

“We believe in a multi-sector action to deploy viable solutions for sustainable development” commented Carlo Tacconelli, EnGreen CEO, “and, according to this approach, long-lasting collaborations working at different level of the RE value chain are crucial to achieve tangible results on energy access.”

6 July 2021: The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $170.9 million in financing for the African Development Bank’s Leveraging Energy Access Finance Framework (LEAF) program.  LEAF aims to unlock commercial and local-currency financing for decentralized renewable energy (DRE)  projects in six program countries: Ghana, Guinea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Tunisia.

The Green Climate Fund’s financing is part of an overall $900 million program budget whose objective is to scale up roll-out of mini-grids, solar home systems, and commercial and industrial solar solutions in the program countries.

Tony Clamp, acting Director of GCF’s Private Sector Facility, said, “GCF is delighted to partner with the African Development Bank to support this timely and critical program for decentralised renewable energy across these six African countries. Green Climate Fund’s commitment will help unlock much-needed commercial capital and local currency financing to help overcome financing barriers exacerbated by Covid-19.”

Under LEAF, Africa’s abundant solar resources will be harnessed to provide renewable energy to 6 million people and businesses, and will also prevent 28.8 million tonnes in CO2 emissions over the lifetime of the systems.  

By deploying credit enhancement instruments and technical assistance, LEAF will strengthen capital markets and crowd-in private sector investors, including local financial institutions, thereby enhancing their financial and technical capacity to finance businesses in the fast growing DRE market segment comprising of solar home systems, green mini-grids, and solar solutions for commercial and industrial sectors. The program will also provide requisite support to strengthen the enabling environment and increase private sector investment in this market segment.

“GCF’s approval of LEAF is a significant boost for the African Development Bank’s twin ambitions of accelerating electricity access and supporting the transition to clean energy on the continent using decentralized renewable energy solutions, and moreover facilitated through local financing,”  said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth.

8 July 2021: Several sustainable and clean energy projects will receive a total funding of half a million euros through the A2E Fund. Initiatives could benefit more than 30,000 people.

Solar energy is a common element in the seven projects that EDP, through the A2E (Access to Energy) Fund, will support in five countries in Africa: Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda and Malawi. From refrigeration systems for fish and fruit in local markets to the electrification of schools and health centers, or the supply of technologies that make it possible to desalinate water, all projects are based on the same renewable energy source: the sun.

The proposals selected in this third edition of the fund – from a total of 115 applications – now have a global funding of half a million euros, with which EDP intends to promote access to clean energy in remote and deprived regions, and thus helping to fight energy poverty in these territories. As in previous editions, the A2E Fund invests in initiatives in five priority areas – education, health, agriculture, companies and community – and values assessment criteria such as social impact, partnerships, sustainability, potential for expansion and financial viability.

Mozambique and Nigeria are the countries with the most projects in this edition, two each. In the first case, the projects to be funded are by the Luwire Wildlife Conservancy, which involves the creation of a solar system to power basic services for the local population and the irrigation of agricultural fields, and Viva con Agua by Sankt Pauli, which intends to give access to drinking water through desalination technology. In the case of Nigeria, both proposals involve refrigeration systems: Koolboks wants to install them in eight markets for fish sellers in the Lagos area and ColdHubs plans to create them to support a community of women farmers.

OffGridBox is the project that will be funded in Rwanda and aims to provide energy and clean water to six refugee camps. ADDP Angola wants to abandon diesel generators, replacing them with a renewable energy system to supply schools. Finally, the DAAP Malawi project is directly aimed at supplying a vocational school with electricity from a solar platform.

The A2E Fund thus continues the program started in 2018 that has already contributed a total of one million euros to 13 projects that have helped improving the lives of 65 thousand people and, indirectly, of about one million. Each of the projects in this new edition received between 25 thousand and 100 thousand euros, and it is estimated that its development can have a direct positive impact on the lives of 16 thousand people and also indirectly benefit more than 15 thousand people in these territories.

With this initiative, EDP reinforces its commitment to the sustainability of the planet, renewable energies and the need to fight poverty and lack of electric energy that still affect the lives of millions of people, especially in remote and poor rural communities in developing countries. Therefore, supporting these projects is a decisive contribution to guaranteeing a more sustainable, inclusive and fair future, in line with the company's own ambition to be fully green by 2030 and to reinforce its commitment to society.

The mission of each project:

• It's called OffGridBox and it aims to provide energy and clean water to six refugee camps in Rwanda. The project involves the installation of a 'box' in each of these communities that includes solar battery kits, LED lighting, a telephone charger and a container to collect purified water. Through this system, its users will be able to perform basic day-to-day tasks and also support other productive activities. It is estimated that the project will benefit at least 12,000 people.
• Access to clean, potable water is one of the difficulties that the Viva con Agua project in Sankt Pauli hopes to overcome with a solar energy powered water desalination technology. Designed to benefit around 350 families in the Mozambican region of Catuane – and, in particular, the community's primary school – this system will allow 750 students to receive free clean water and another 750 people to purchase it at affordable prices.
• The main focus of the Luwire Wildlife Conservancy is to improve the quality of life, education, agriculture and nutrition of a community in the Niassa region of Mozambique. The project aims to create a basic solar energy infrastructure that serves the school, health center, agricultural irrigation system and also allows better lighting and facilitates electrical charging of equipment, from simple mobile phones to water purification systems or medicine and vaccines preservation. At least 380 people will be directly impacted by this initiative.
• Sellers in markets in the region of Lagos, Nigeria, lose about 30% of their fish due to the lack of adequate conditions to preserve fresh items. This is the challenge that the Koolboks project intends to overcome with the creation of a refrigeration system that helps the activity of these women: in total, 150 Koolhome solar coolers are planned to be installed in eight markets, impacting around 120 saleswomen. In addition to fish, other perishable products such as meat or vegetables can be kept safe with this system.
• One of the purposes of the ColdHubs project in Nigeria is to avoid wasting food because there are no refrigeration systems. With this system, women who sell fresh products (such as fruit or vegetables) will be able to prolong the life of these foods from two to 21 days, thus guaranteeing safer products and an improvement in the conditions and results of the business itself. The refrigeration systems to be created are powered by solar energy and directly impact the activity of 300 farmers and small traders.
• ADDP Angola's project has the mission to replace diesel generators, which are highly polluting and have very high costs, with a renewable energy system to supply two schools in communities in the provinces of Bié and Cubango. With the installation of solar systems in these rural areas, around 420 children will have access to better (and longer) teaching conditions. Training sessions on how to maintain and manage these energy systems are also planned.
• The DAAP Malawi project wants to create a solar energy system to supply a vocational training school with around 500 students. This will result in an increase in school hours (even when there is no longer natural light) and easier access to the internet, which is an additional factor of motivation for the students. In addition, the school will also provide training in the area of energy and electrification. The direct beneficiaries of this project are around one thousand, but indirectly it can impact 10,000 people in the Mikolongwe region.

All projects selected by the A2E Fund can be seen here.

14 July 2021: CGAP, GOGLA, and IFC/Lighting Global today launched the PAYGo Performance, Reporting and Measurement (PAYGo PERFORM) financial reporting framework for the pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar industry. Developed through an industry-led process involving roughly 600 stakeholders, the framework represents a significant step toward helping this promising young industry improve performance, present an accessible profile to investors, and attract the capital it needs to lift millions of people out of energy poverty.

The PAYGo PERFORM framework includes a set of 36 key performance indicators (KPIs) that stand to enable the PAYGo industry to clearly communicate financial performance, operational performance, and portfolio quality to investors.

“The PERFORM KPIs are an important and well-thought-out step to improve financial reporting and operating benchmarks, as our industry is made up of young companies with evolving business models,” said Shagun Jain, commercial director at PAYGo solar company Rural Spark and one of the stakeholders who was involved in developing the new framework.

“Now is the ideal time for the industry to introduce common reporting standards and increase transparency to attract further investment from the existing and potential new investors. We are very proud of being actively involved in the whole process and looking forward to the industry adopting them,” he said.

The PAYGo industry emerged roughly a decade ago as off-grid solar companies in Africa and Asia looked for ways to make home solar systems more accessible to households that could not afford to buy them upfront. With PAYGo, customers acquire a home solar system for a low upfront cost and pay it off over time by digitally prepaying for usage — similar to the way mobile phone users prepay for airtime. There is no collateral and no fixed payment schedule. When prepaid usage runs out, the system simply shuts off. After purchasing enough units of energy usage, customers own the system and may continue using it at no cost.

“These features make PAYGo uniquely suited to low-income households with irregular incomes and little to no savings,” said Russell Sturm, global head of energy access at IFC Lighting Global, the World Bank Group’s platform to support sustainable growth of the international off-grid solar market.

Koen Peters, executive director of the global off-grid solar energy industry association GOGLA, said that PAYGo companies have already clearly proven their potential in addressing energy poverty and financial exclusion. However, to fully use that potential, this industry segment will need to scale much further, and the PAYGo PERFORM KPIs will be critical to achieving this scale:

“By 2020, PAYGo companies had reached an estimated 27 million people who were not served by traditional utilities and financial services providers before. But to keep growing and reach millions more low-income households, the industry needs a lot of capital investment. The lack of a standardized reporting framework has made it difficult for mainstream investors to analyze companies’ performance and channel capital to them. With the PAYGo Perform KPIs, we're seeking to address exactly that, removing one more barrier towards the sector's growth,” he said.

While the PAYGo PERFORM KPIs should help investors identify sustainable businesses best set to scale the extension of clean, reliable energy to poor communities, the benefits of PAYGo extend beyond energy access and climate change.

“Low-income households in rural areas aren’t just off grid. They’re also one of the hardest populations to reach with financial services. PAYGo companies are bringing digital payments to rural communities and giving people a compelling reason to use these services. There’s an important financial inclusion aspect to PAYGo solar,” said Xavier Faz, lead of business models research at CGAP, a global partnership of organizations working to advance financial inclusion.

CGAP, GOGLA, and IFC Lighting Global encourage all PAYGo companies and investors in the space to adopt the PAYGo PERFORM KPIs. To learn more, visit www.findevgateway.org/paygo-perform-kpis.

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About CGAP: CGAP is a global partnership of more than 30 leading development organizations that works to advance the lives of poor people, especially women, through financial inclusion. Using action-oriented research, it tests, learns and shares knowledge intended to help build inclusive and responsible financial systems that move people out of poverty, protect their economic gains and advance broader development goals. For more information, visit: https://www.cgap.org/.

About GOGLA: GOGLA is the global association for the off-grid solar energy industry. It is proud to champion one of the world’s most innovative and impactful sectors. It works to promote, safeguard, and convene the industry, advocating for enabling policies and increased investment as well as supporting our 200+ members with effective services. For more information, visit: https://www.gogla.org/the-voice-of-the-off-grid-solar-energy-industry.

About IFC Lighting Global: IFC Lighting Global is the World Bank Group’s platform to support sustainable growth of the international off-grid solar market as a means of rapidly increasing energy access to the 789 million people living without electricity. For more information, visit: https://www.lightingglobal.org/.