Stories are what make the world and inspire the imagination. We have collected, and continue to add, stories about energy access and rural development around the world, as well as the latest updates and thoughts from our own projects and activities.
In this video, you’ll hear from José Eddy Torres, an energy consultant who has worked extensively in rural development in Colombia and beyond. Torres explains the challenges facing rural energy and development – and tells what must be done for rural energy projects to be sustainable in the long-term.
Brian Heap talks with Ashok Mangotra, former Joint Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). They discuss the Indian government’s aim to electrify all villages by the year 2020. Since 80% of energy in rural areas still comes from biomass – how will the transition to clean …
Dario Rodriguez, an engineer with Ecuador’s National Institute of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, explains some of the unique social and environmental challenges that Ecuador faces in its efforts to promote renewable energy, including the delicate environment of the Galapagos Islands and the remoteness and isolation of the Amazon.
Interview with Jodie Wu CEO & Founder at Global Cycle Solutions “New products need to be used and experienced and taught” When Jodie Wu was still an engineering student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she invented a simple device that let farmers use a bicycle to shell corn. The mechanism allowed rural farmers to …
Interview with Dr. Sebastian Groh Managing Director of ME SOLshare Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh “People are very smart about solar home systems in Bangladesh” In Bangladesh, 17 million households are off-grid, and 85% of the population lives in rural communities. Solar works here and has done ever since the early nineties when the first solar home …
Can mini-grids be profitable? SOLshare in Bangladesh doubles down Read More »
Interview with Avishek Malla Director of Engineering and Operations for SunFarmer Nepal, a subsidiary of SunFarmer International Location: Kathmandu, Nepal “Farmers in Nepal could never in their lives imagine having a solar-powered pump” In 2015, Nepal was hit by a series of devastating crises. One earthquake was followed by another, and the year ended with …
Solar technologies offer hope in post-disaster Nepal Read More »
Interview with Henri Nyakarundi Founder, The African Renewable Energy Distributor Location: Kigali, Rwanda “Looking back, the only way you can be in business is to be a little bit naive” From bus stops and hospitals, to marketplaces and health centres, to Nyabiheke, one of the four major refugee camps in Rwanda, Henri Nyakarundi is ensuring …
Franchising renewable energy: Smart kiosks across Rwanda Read More »
Interview with Sayouba Guira Director of Nafa Naana, a social enterprise providing clean cooking and lighting products Location: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso “It’s a crisis, but we are in a country with so many other priorities that people don’t talk about it, which is why we are doing something about promoting clean and affordable energy solutions” …
A clean energy crisis: One Burkina Faso social business aims to address it Read More »
Interview with Nir Marom Co-founder, Lumos Global Location: Israel “Time is the most expensive resource for an entrepreneur” On the same day that Nir Marom’s company won a tender—he spent about seven years working in on-grid solar energy—he came across an article about people living off kerosene or candles, spending 50 cents a day. “I …
Unlocking rural electricity with a text message in Nigeria Read More »
Interview with Simbo Sojinrin Solar Sister Nigeria Country Manager Location: Nigeria “f you look at what constitutes energy poverty and how it affects society, you see women are far more affected by it”. Solar is one abundant source of energy that offers a bright future for African communities. Another is the abundant energy of empowered …
Interview with Lauren Grimanis Founder, The Akaa Project Location: Eastern Ghana / Boston, Massachusetts “I love the notion of bringing things back to the village”. When Lauren Grimanis first visited Ghana, she was a senior in high school. It was July 2007, and she was working on her college applications. She only stayed there for …
When villages become education hubs: the work of the Akaa Project in Ghana Read More »
Interview with Shazia Khan Co-founder and Executive Director, Eco Energy, an off-grid company in Pakistan Location: Washington, DC and Pakistan “Instead of thinking like a manufacturer, I ask how I can best meet people’s needs” In 2010, less than a year after Shazia Khan co-founded Eco Energy, devastating floods hit Pakistan. Through her non-profit organisation, …
Raising US$1 million in equity to take off-grid energy in Pakistan to next level Read More »
Philipp Denzinger, GIZ Proklima Off grid pilot locations: Swaziland, Seychelles, Jordan and Kenya “Even in an off-grid system, if you’re not considering natural refrigerants, you’re not really being green at all”. In developing countries, a refrigerator is often a first important purchase for a family moving into the middle class, while advantages of cooling technology …
Off-grid green cooling breakthroughs improve farmers’ incomes Read More »
Interview with Vinay Jaju Co-founder and COO at ONergy, Head at Switch ON “Energy is not the end. It’s just the means to the end”. Vinay Jaju’s interest in environmentalism first got serious while he was working in Australia and got involved with local forest conservation efforts. When he returned to India in 2008, he …
ONergy: India can’t rely on coal – it must go renewable Read More »
This is the second podcast (21.5 minutes) in our two-part series of interviews with Professor Daniel Kammen, Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor of Energy in the Goldman School of Public Policy and Founding Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley. (Listen to Part 1) Sir Brian Heap, Senior Advisor to …
In this short 8.5 minute podcast, you’ll listen to Part One of our two-part interview series with Professor Daniel Kammen, Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor of Energy in the Goldman School of Public Policy and Founding Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley. (Listen to Part Two) Sir Brian Heap, …
Interview with Olivia Nava Co-founder and CEO, Juabar Location: Oakland, California / Tanzania “Anywhere where there is mobile money, there is a potential for services in delivery and market opportunities.” Juabar is a solar entrepreneurs’ network which has been based in Tanzania since 2013. The three-person company behind the initial model, of a solar panel …
Interview with Andrew Reicher Angel investor in off-grid energy companies Location: UK and across rural Africa “I do not measure impact. I know it when I see it”. For more than a decade, Andrew Reicher worked for large financial firms aiming to encourage economic development in some of the world’s poorest corners. Again and again, …
One angel investor on launching 10 off-grid companies—and what it takes to be successful Read More »
Interview with Boston Nyer BURN General Manager, Kenya Location: Kenya “The next step is to get more sustainable fuels into people’s homes”. “The whole impetus is to save trees,” explains Boston Nyer, BURN’s general manager in Kenya. In East Africa, 60% of deforestation is driven by the need for wood and charcoal for cooking. “Our …
“Jikokoa”: Scaling up clean cookstoves and providing local jobs Read More »
Interview with Ned Tozun Co-founder, d.light, a for-profit social enterprise based in China, India, East Africa, and the USA Location: Nairobi, Kenya “Now that the technology has evolved, we want to provide more holistic energy solutions”. After studying and working in engineering, Tozun knew he was “wired” for entrepreneurship. He started “a couple of companies” …