United Nations has called on
businesses, governments, and
civil society to achieve Sustainable
Energy for All by 2030
Member Highlights – October 2015
Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development (PAEGC) 2015 Innovators Announced
Congratulations to Practitioner Network members Claro Energy, Husk Power Systems, SunCulture and Village Infrastructure Angels for being named among the 13 innovators to receive the PAEGC 2015 award. Claro Energy earned the award for their project of Low-Cost Pay-Per-Use Irrigation Using Solar Trolley Systems in India; Husk Power Systems earned the award for their project of Biomass and Solar PV Hybrid Minigrids of Off-Grid Farming Communities in Ghana and Nigeria; SunCulture earned the award for their project of Scaling the Distribution of Tailored Agro-Solar Irrigation Kits in East Africa; and Village Infrastructure Angels earned the award for their project of Solar Agro-Processing Power Stations in Southeast Asia.
A Quarter of a Million Homes Now On M-KOPA
M-KOPA Solar, the world’s leading ‘pay-as-you-go’ energy provider to off grid homes, proudly announced reaching 250,000 homes across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
A Princess’s Plan To Bring Light To The 1.3 Billion Africans Without Power
Many people living in Africa need electricity, but don’t have it. Luckily, something of a solar power revolution is afoot in Africa, triggering a wave of innovation from solar energy entrepreneurs. One of them is a princess descended from an ancient Mossi warrior, who stresses that the best way to combat this problem is by empowering the people to educate and help themselves. Princess Abzeita Djigma from Burkina Faso in Western Africa runs a company called AbzeSolar, which provides a host of solar power products to rural areas and villages. The locals install and sell the products themselves, thereby providing renewable electricity to the people, but also boosting the local economy.
Lighting Africa Launches Consumer Education Campaign
Lighting Africa, a World Bank Group program to expand and expedite development of off-grid solar lighting products has launched a consumer education campaign in Africa.
Sunlabob Renewable Energy secures contract to build 11 solar village micro-grids in rural Myanmar
Sunlabob Renewable Energy Ltd., the venture-backed company specializing in rural renewable energy and clean water solutions, recently finalized a contract to provide turnkey implementation of eleven solar-powered micro-grids in remote communities of Myanmar. The micro-grids will provide reliable, clean energy access at the household level in eleven villages throughout Shan State and Chin State, Myanmar. Sunlabob, which has implemented off-grid renewable energy solutions in more than 25 countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Pacific region, will provide material supply, design, and construction of the battery-backed solar power systems. Sunlabob engineers and technicians will also provide hands-on training for local maintenance technicians and household end-users.
Mobisol Rwanda to Light 49,000 Homes with Subsidized Solar Systems
Mobisol Rwanda, Energy Development Corporation Limited and the European Union have entered a partnership that will see 49,000 households and 1,000 schools get solar energy. The four-year programme is being implemented by Mobisol in collaboration with the Energy Development Corporation Limited (EDCL), a subsidiary of the Rwanda Energy Group (REG).
More than 15,000 people have electricity with the “Luz en Casa Oaxaca” programme
A new supply phase has been recently finished and, now, more than 3,600 households have electricity through Third Generation Solar Home Systems (3GSHS) in rural communities of Oaxaca (Mexico). The Public-Private Partnership for Development, which is composed of ACCIONA Microenergia Mexico, the Government of the State of Oaxaca and the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development to perform the “Luz en Casa Oaxaca” programme, has achieve an important milestone in the summer of 2015, with the supply of 2,272 3GSHS to an equal number of low-income families from 175 Oaxaca villages.
Trojan Battery Introduces “Farm from a Box” Off-Grid Solution
Trojan Battery Co., LLC, a specialist in deep-cycle batteries, provides the energy storage solution for the “Farm from a Box” sustainable micro farming system. The “Farm from a Box” system will feature four Trojan AGM batteries which will serve as the system’s energy storage solution.
Startup Perú awards PowerMundo Grant for Dynamic and High Impact Entrepreneurs
Startup Perú, of the Ministry of Production, announced that PowerMundo, an international social enterprise that promote the use of clean technologies, was selected as a Dynamic and High Impact Entrepreneur. Thanks to the recent contest and PowerMundo’s proposal entitled: “Improving Lives with Solar Energy, Innovative Financing, and New Digital Technology,” PowerMundo will receive approximately $45,000 (S/. 137,000) and additional support from experts at the Startup Perú Program to build its business.
Narok women to get solar power courtesy of Philips
Women in Narok, Kenya will receive solar power and energy saving jikos through a new partnership between two organisations. Philips East Africa Limited and Joyful Women Organisation (JoyWo) partnered to improve access to solar powered lighting and clean cooking technologies in Kenya. The partnership involves providing solar LED lanterns and clean, efficient household cooking stoves developed specifically for semi-urban and rural communities across the country.
SunDanzer’s El Paso facility sends off-grid fridges worldwide
SunDanzer Refrigeration Inc. is a North American market leader for special household refrigerators which look like box freezers. It is seeing rapid sales growth in Africa particularly in vaccine-storage refrigerators. It has also recently started a milk storage project, by supplying special refrigerators to Kenya dairy farmers.
Promethean Power was founded to address the problem of keeping milk cold without burning diesel fuel. Technology Review covered the recent expansion of Promethean’s work to Bangladesh.
Business mentoring bringing solar to more off-grid customers in Rwanda
GVEP is supporting entrepreneurs in Rwanda to effectively utilize solar energy to provide off-grid areas with healthy, reliable and affordable power through a mentorship program.
The new WISIONS YouTube channel will share current and future videos documenting their SEPS project and exchange activities. Around six videos from different projects are already online. To watch and subscribe to our channel, please visit WISIONS of Sustainability on YouTube.
Solar Energy Kiosks Provide Rural Lighting Solution in Madagascar
A new social enterprise HERi Madagascar, has developed an innovative, healthier and affordable solution to providing lighting to rural parts of Madagascar.
