Rural Electrification News
Spain’s TTA Builds Five 24/7 Solar-Wind Minigrids on Ghana’s Lake Volta Islands
The initial five remote island renewable minigrids are enhancing lives and livelihoods as Ghana continues its drive to achieve universal electricity access by 2020.
Read more →Australia’s “Sunshine State” Issues Solar Rooftop Public Housing Tenders
The Queensland Dept. of Housing and Public Works is soliciting "Expressions of Interest" from qualified solar energy design, engineering and installation companies to install solar PV systems on public housing in Cairns and Rockingham, part and parcel of a broader project that aims to see 3-6 MWs of solar power capacity installed on 2,000-4,000 houses.
Read more →Public-Private Partnership Results in Low-Carbon Community Microgrid for Blue Lake Rancheria Native American Tribe
Joining with the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe, Siemens, REC Solar, Tesla, the Idaho National Laboratory and Humboldt State Uiversity launched a solar PV-battery energy storage community microgrid in northern California.
Read more →Real Estate Investment, Affordable Housing Groups Latch On to Distributed “Green” Energy Locomotive
Teaming up with Advanced Microgrid Solutions, Kilroy Realty is outfitting five of its Los Angeles commercial buildings with a suite of Hybrid Electric Buildings Technolgoies that will minimize energy consumption and costs and shore up the utlity grid. In Scotland, a partnership between Berwickshire Housing Association and Community Energy Scotland has seen the launch of a landmark community wind power-affordable housing plan through to fruition.
Read more →Facebook, Microsoft Join in Launch of Sustainable Microgrid Investment Accelerator
Facebook and Microsoft are joining the growing ranks of leading high-tech industry players aiming to expand sustainable energy access and renewable energy microgrid deployment across the developing world. Partnering with clean energy venture capital specialists at Allotrope Partners, the high-tech industry leaders aim to raise $50 million from 2018-2020 to expand sustainable energy access in East Africa, India and Indonesia.
Read more →20-Plus Million Bangladeshis Now Have Access to Clean, Affordable Home Solar
Driven primarily by rapid deployment of small-scale, off-grid home solar PV-energy storage systems, access to electricity in Bangladesh has risen from 47% to 80% since 2009.
Read more →Episcopalian, Methodist Churches Plow $60MM into Developing World Off-Grid Solar
The Church Pension Fund and Wespath Benefits and Investments have invested $60 million ($30 million each) in Developing World Markets’ (DWM) landmark $60.8 million ORCA (Off-grid Renewables-Climate Action) note.
Read more →MTN, Lumos Global Expect to Empower 1 Million Nigerians with Launch of Mobile Electricity Service
The advent of off-grid, mobile pay-go household solar energy systems is producing amazing results in a growing range of Sub-Saharan nations. The MTN-Lumos partnership serves as a prime example.
Read more →USAID Adds Momentum to Sub-Saharan Off-Grid Solar with $4 Million of New SOGE Grant Awards
USAID will award Scaling Off-Grid Energy Development Grand Challenge grants of up to $500,000 each to Sub-Saharan start-ups that demonstrate commercially promising innovations and show they've raised sufficient capital from private sector investors.
Read more →Haiti Solar Micro-Utility Amps Up, 20x Expansion in Customer Base on Tap
The first to be awarded funding from ElectriFi, pioneering renewable energy micro-utiliy Sigora International aims to expand the customer base of its pilot, community solar microgrid from 5,000 to 136,000 (27,000 accounts).
Read more →Ugandan Off-Grid Solar, Low-Cost Internet Access Poised for a Growth Spurt
Uganda's national off-grid solar and renewable power iniative brightens prospects for the economy, society and the environment. Entrepreneurial African solar start-ups are keen to contribute.
Read more →Energy Access Investment Forum - Lisbon - March 22-23
The Alliance for Rural Electrification, in partnership with Energias de Portugal (EDP) and the African-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Program (RECP), has the pleasure to invite you to the ARE Energy Access Investment Forum in Lisbon, Portugal on 22-23 March 2017.…
Read more →Off-Grid Solar-Storage Program Just Scratches the Surface of Navajo Nation Sustainable Energy Potential
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority has installed small-scale home solar PV-energy storage systems in 20,000 homes and counting. The sustainable energy drive just scratches the surface of the Navajo Nation's local solar and renewable energy generation capacity, however.
Read more →Nigeria Launches National Off-Grid Pay-Go Solar Homes Initiative
20,000 households are expected to benefit by having off-grid, mobile pay-go solar energy systems installed over the next 12 months in the initial phase of Nigeria's Solar Home Systems initiative.
Read more →Uganda Mobile Pay-Go Solar Provider Doubles Customer Base to 100,000 in 12 Months
Fenix International's ReadyPay line of high-efficiency, off-grid mobile pay-go solar products are proving very popular with Ugandans. The socioeconomic and environmental advantages and benefits should serve them in good stead for many years to come.
Read more →Solar PV, Renewable Microgrids Stand Out in 2017 IRENA/ADFD Joint Facility Awards
Four renewable energy projects in Africa and the Pacific region will receive $44.5 million in IRENA-ADFD Joint Facility loans that come with low interest rates and other favorable terms developers would not be able to qualify for otherwise.
Read more →Global Microgrid Markets To Reach $35 billion By 2022: New Report
Research & Markets suggest global microgrid markets will have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% between 2016-2022. The Research and Markets timeline for microgrid growth is slightly slower than Global Microgrid Market report from Transparency Market Research, which…
Read more →Off-Grid Solar Hits the Ground Running in Rural Nicaragua, Panama
A chance meeting the clean energy and water poverty he witnessed during his travels across Nicaragua and Panama led Marc Henrich to create Solubrite. Now the solar-social enterprise startup is on the road with the aim of installing another 25,000 small home solar PV systems in rural communities across the two Central American countries.
Read more →Pay-As-You-Go Solar and Microgrids Considered New Class of Infrastructure Investment
Small enough to be deemed insignificant by conventional power market and investment standards, off-grid solar-storage mini- and microgrids now account for a significant and still growing share of electrification taking place in a diverse range of populous countries around the world – from Peru, Pakistan and Yemen to island nations, including the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Samoa and Indonesia.
Read more →Bangladesh Emerges as a Hotbed for Solar Microgrids, P2P Energy Trading
Bangladeshi clean enegy entrepreneurs are playing a key role in the installation of home solar PV-energy storage and community microgrids in Bangladesh. Access to reliable, safe and affordable emissions-free electricity is improving lives and livelihoods throughout the country.
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