Venture Capital
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 →Zimbabwe Off-Grid Solar Start-up Lands Kiva Direct to Social Enterprise Loan
Providing mobile "pay as you go" home solar loans, Zonful Energy tapped into Kiva's new Direct to Social Enterprise Fund to secure a $50,000 loan that will enable it to deploy the PAYG mobile payments soloution to remote and rural areas.
Read more →The Investment Case for Mini-Grids and Off-Grids in Africa
Since the mid-1990s, external finance to Africa’s power sector has averaged only around US$600m per year of public assistance, plus a similar volume of private finance, according to the World Bank. Africa’s critical need for development requires rapid and effective…
Read more →Caterpillar Takes Equity Stake In Africa Microgrid Company Powerhive
Part of a $20 million round of Series A VC funding, Caterpillar Ventures is taking an equity stake in Powerhive, a pioneering developer and vendor of smart microgrids that network residential and commercial solar PV-energy storage systems in rural Africa.
Read more →Energy Efficiency Financing More than Doubles in 2015
Corporate funding in the energy efficiency sector more than doubled to nearly $1.2 billion in 2015, with debt and public market financing accounting for nearly 60% of total venture capital (VC) and corporate funding of energy efficiency companies, a good sign the market is maturing and that bankers and investors are becoming more comfortable with risks and rewards.
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Internet of Things Fuels VC Smart Grid, Energy Storage Investment
Venture capital (VC) investment groups put $81 million of capital across 12 transactions to work in up-and-coming smart grid systems vendors in 3Q, substantially less than 2Q's $104 million and 18 transactions, Mercom Capital reports. Though down on a quarterly…
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