Smart Villages

Aleutia: From solar classrooms in a box to Africa’s emerging middle class

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Interview with Mike Rosenberg Founder, Aleutia Location: pan-Africa “I’m passionate about what I do. Passion is not optional”. Mike Rosenberg started his technology career in 2004 at Kelway, a leading UK IT reseller and was fascinated by the falling price of technology and opportunities for social impact in Africa. Given an opportunity to go to …

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Analysis of Rwandan village reveals a uniquely detailed picture of energy poverty

Press Releases /

The Smart Villages Initiative has today published a Technical Report analysing baseline data from the remote off-grid Rwandan village of Rubagabaga. The findings comprise the first part of an impact evaluation study exploring the relationship between modern energy access, its productive use, and rural development outcomes. The report furthers efforts to establish and finance development …

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[:en]The big chill: Off-grid cooling for water, refrigeration, spaces, and more…[:]

Webinars /

[:en] Cooling is crucial in off-grid villages throughout the developing world: water, refrigeration for vaccines, cooling for Maasai cheese, and even spaces, whether for productive uses of energy (cold chains for fish or agricultural / dairy products) or homes and community spaces. In this webinar, we will hear from several speakers regarding the challenges and …

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BR17: The energy and water nexus for off-grid communities in the Philippines and Southeast Asia

Policy Briefs /

The Smart Villages Initiative together with the Philippines Center for Water and Sanitation (PCWS) held a workshop in Burgos, Ilocos Norte in the Philippines to discuss issues relating to the nexus of energy, water, and food in rural off-grid communities in Southeast Asia on 1-3 June 2016. Expert participants were brought together from the water, …

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TR6: Rubagabaga Mini-Hydro Public-Private-Community Partnership Project – Baseline data analysis

Technical Reports /

The Smart Villages Initiative is undertaking a set of rigorous impact evaluations to understand the relationship between modern energy access, its productive use, and rural development outcomes. Through building an evidence-base, the Smart Villages Initiative will help stimulate the investment of public and private sector resources in off-grid energy and rural development and ensure that …

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In the Himalayas, an entrepreneur brings energy–and trekkers–to remote villages

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Interview with Paras Loomba, Founder Global Himalayan Expedition Location: Himalayas “My focus? Their livelihoods” Paras Loomba, son of an Army officer, is the Founder of the Villagers at Lankarchey brok (GHE). After a successful International Antarctica Expedition in 2012, led by Robert Swan, OBE, Paras quit his corporate job to work in the field of renewable …

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Smart villages for smart voters

Essay /

The right to vote is generally considered a fundamental right of each citizen, underpinning all other basic rights – to food, education and security. And the world’s most enthusiastic voters live in India’s 650,000 villages. At the heart of India’s democratic system have been regular elections that now see the participation of more than 100 …

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Barefoot Power India: Women are central to rural energy

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Interview with Vernie Sannoo, Managing Director Barefoot Power India Location: India; Barefoot Power is active in the global south “The only barrier is affordability.” While Vernie Sannoo didn’t found Barefoot Power India, he has a rich experience in sales and marketing for rural energy, rural distribution, and overall business operations that he uses to help continue to …

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Smart Villages announces finalists in the 2016 Energy Innovation Challenge for East Africa

Press Releases /

Smart Villages today announces finalists in the second annual Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge. Building on last year’s success, this year’s competition challenged aspiring young East African entrepreneurs to come up with an idea for a social business powered by off-grid energy. Social businesses are financially sustainable and also deliver positive social impacts to the …

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WR21: The energy and water nexus for off-grid communities in the Philippines and Southeast Asia

Workshop Reports /

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), energy, and agriculture are topics of great importance to every rural community. In Southeast Asia, these issues overlap in many remote villages where lack of access to energy is often coupled with lack of access to clean drinking water or water for sanitation or agriculture. This report summarises the information …

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No one left behind: Will energy access alone end poverty?

Press Releases /

No one left behind: Will energy access alone end poverty? A European Development Days debate with rural leaders, the private sector, and scientists On 15 June 2016, an interactive debate, “Will energy access alone end poverty?: A debate with rural leaders, the private sector and scientists” will be held during European Development Days at Tour …

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Smart Villages and Resilience to Natural Disasters

Workshops /

A workshop on Smart Villages and Resilience to Natural Disasters was co-hosted by the Smart Villages Initiative and the Asia Research Institute, the National University of Singapore in Singapore on 5 May 2016. The workshop brought together 44 participants from two communities of researchers: those focusing on energy access; and those focusing on natural disasters. …

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Azuri’s CEO anticipates continued growth in Africa, PAYG agriculture

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Simon Bransfield-Garth, Chief Executive Officer Azuri Technologies Location: Pan-Africa “Go where nobody else has got to yet.” Simon Bransfield-Garth is on the cutting edge of the solar pay-as-you-go market for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Founder of Azuri Technologies, Bransfield-Garth is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for technology. He has been named a World …

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Energy provision and food security in off-grid villages

Essay /

In spite of much technological progress, many countries as well as communities within countries suffer from food insecurity; one in seven people in the developing world remains food insecure. Food security involves concurrent attention to availability, which is a function of production; access, which is a function of purchasing power; and absorption, which is a …

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Renewables 2016 Global Status Report

External content, Resources /

2015 was an extraordinary year for renewable energy. Renewables are now cost competitive with fossil fuels in many markets and are established around the world as mainstream sources of energy. Cities, communities and companies are leading the rapidly expanding “100% renewable” movement, playing a vital role in advancing the global energy transition. Distributed renewable energy …

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WR19: Frontier energy storage technologies and global energy challenges

Workshop Reports /

The University of Edinburgh together with the Smart Villages Initiative held a workshop at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation on 11 May 2016. The workshop brought together social and physical scientists, industry representatives and entrepreneurs, energy and international development policy makers, and practitioners. The workshop provided an overview of new insights and research in battery …

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