-
Shell-Backed Solar Company Bets on Phone Banking for Africa
M-KOPA Kenya Ltd., backed by a Royal Dutch Shell Plc-funded charity, sees sales of its solar-lighting system that allows users to pay by phone surging 13-fold as mobile operators roll out banking services in Africa.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- solar
-
India’s villagers reap visible benefits from solar electricity scheme
Energy NGO Teri has revolutionised 500,000 lives through a scheme that uses solar LED lanterns to provide cheap power
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- solar
-
Off-Grid Electrification: A key to Myanmar’s promising growth
Throughout his promotion of the United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said several times that “energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability.”
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
-
Invested Development Invests in SolarNow to Provide Affordable Solar Home Systems in Uganda
The Netherlands, & Kampala, Uganda – Invested Development, an emerging markets-focused social impact investment company, has invested in SolarNow, a Dutch social enterprise operating in Uganda. SolarNow combines a franchise model with an end-user credit facility to provide affordable solar home systems (SHSs) in Uganda.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- solar
-
In India, Solar Ambitions Are Suddenly Outsize
After years of lagging behind China and the West in the adoption of solar power, some states in India are proposing to build solar farms at a galloping pace that leaves them at risk of falling short of electricity (a familiar problem here) or of paying higher prices for it.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- solar
-
Solar Now, Water Later: An Interview With Sunsaluter’s Eden Full
Twenty-year-old Eden Full, who has been tinkering with solar technology for more than half of her young life, saw these dual challenges and designed a dual-purpose system that uses mechanical water flow to control the rotation of a solar panel to meet them. The SunSaluter, winner of the Mashable-UN Foundation Startups for Social Good Challenge, is a low-cost solar tracker and water filtration system.
- Categories
- Energy
- Tags
- interviews, renewable energy, solar
-
The Next Million: Grameen Shakti – an innovative model for rural energy business
A small group of people began experimenting how to bring solar electricity to rural Bangladesh and in 1996 started its first rural renewable energy service company – Grameen Shakti – which literally translates to rural energy. The company installed 20 solar systems by the end of 1996, 2,800 systems after a decade of growth, and on Nov. 30, 2012 – 16 years after its launch – installed a total of 1 million solar systems in village homes, schools, clinics and businesses.
- Categories
- Energy
- Tags
- renewable energy, scale, solar
-
A Light Bulb Goes On: A Major Innovation in Asset Finance: M-KOPA’s model could illuminate other sectors
The creators of M-KOPA , which sells solar base stations that can charge phones, power lights, and other limited applications, has come up with one of the coolest ideas I’ve seen in the mobile money space in some time.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Tags
- solar
The Best of NextBillion in Your Inbox Each Week!
Subscribe to NB Notes for news, jobs & on-the-ground insights from the world of emerging markets business.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.