Aug 31 2017
[:en] Maarten Strengers, Founder, Greenlink Location: De Bildt, Netherlands / Tanzania “We’re building a company, we’re not rescuing Africa.” As an electrical, mechanical and ICT engineer, Maarten Strengers flies to Africa when his technical know-how is needed; when there is a problem with installation capacity, or to advise on a solar community centre. “After a …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/greenlink-building-company-not-rescuing-africa/
Jun 15 2017
Interview with Grace Mahary Founder, Project Tsehigh Location: New York City / Eritrea “I am black, grew up an athlete and saw a disparity in energy in parts of the world.” Canadian model and activist Grace Mahary has worked on making fashion more inclusive. She has spoken out on Black Lives Matter, on diversity in …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/fashion-action-project-tsehighs-grace-mahary/
Nov 01 2016
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, …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/one-angel-investor-launching-10-off-grid-companies-takes-successful/
Jul 14 2016
There is a kerosene lamp known in the Luganda language as tadooba. It burns like a candle and it gives off thick dark smoke that slowly causes a black coating on the roof of the house, the walls, the furniture and other household items. It is the commonest type of lamp used in poor homesteads …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/electricity-changed-lives/
Jun 29 2016
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 …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/interview-mike-rosenberg/
Jun 09 2016
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 …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/interview-simon-bransfield-garth/
Apr 30 2015
The European Union has unveiled plans to support new energy schemes in Africa. The partnership with Paris-based private equity firm Astor Capital Partners will support around 20 SME’s involved in off-grid and decentralised energy production. The Electricity Access Fund aims to invest €55 million over five years, with €10 million of the fund’s capital coming …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/eu-drive-energy-access-through-blending-grants/
Mar 16 2015
The Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge, launching today, challenges young East African entrepreneurs to form teams and come up with imaginative ways of distributing or implementing novel or existing energy technologies for off-grid villages. Each team should include one engineer or scientist. The teams with the best entries will win a spot in the Cambridge …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/energy-innovation-challenge/
Feb 02 2015
Innovation competitions for new technologies and business models are one tool used by policy makers in a range of contexts and countries to help businesses in new fields overcome practical barriers blocking progress between successful pilots and commercialisation. This brief note discusses competitions relevant to African off-grid energy and how they could be designed and …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/role-innovation-competitions-off-grid-energy-africa/
Dec 24 2014
This note provides a summary of the workshop’s findings and recommendations for policy makers. A more detailed report of the workshop, together with copies of the presentations made at the workshop can be found here. Key points 1.3 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity. 3 billion people are still cooking with dangerous and inefficient stoves. Policy …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/findings-arusha-smart-villages-workshop/
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/africa-infographic/
Oct 01 2014
Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy sector can be improved to unlock a better life for its citizens. This report describes one of the most poorly understood parts of the global energy system, offers an authoritative study of its future prospects, broken down by fuel, sector and sub-region and shows how investment in the sub-Saharan energy sector can …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/africa-energy-outlook/
Jun 30 2014
The workshop held in Arusha, Tanzania from 2 to 5 June, 2014, was the first in the series of six major international workshops planned to be held in Africa, Asia and Latin America over the period 2014 to 2017 as a core component of the Smart Villages Initiative (www.e4sv.org). The organising partners for the Arusha workshop were the Cambridge Malaysian Education and Development Trust …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/report-of-1st-regional-smart-villages-workshop/
May 05 2014
A recent article from Uganda reveals that one of the biggest questions facing rural communities around the world is how to build resilience to the increased uncertainty brought about by climate change. Small-scale agriculture is so often based on an unparalleled understanding of the seasons that has been honed over decades through an intimate relationship …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/mobile-phones-increase-farmer-resilience/
Feb 26 2014
The Africa-EU Energy Partnership recently held its Second High Level Meeting and, according to SciDev.net (“Africa awaits an energy revolution”), the discussions in the corridors are focusing on off-grid energy, a welcome development. Coordination and partnerships were chief concerns among industry leaders and policymakers alike. Bringing energy to rural areas of developing can have positive impacts on …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/give-people-electricity-like-giving-medicine/
Feb 26 2014
On the surface, the facts are startling. According to Farming First, a coalition of farmers, engineers, scientists and industry, women[lightbox full=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaiban/6866495548/”][/lightbox] constitute up to 80% of Africa’s smallholder farmers and are produce around 90% of its food. Key issues in the northern Ugandan context, the focus of the article published by Thomson Reuters Foundation, relate to issues of …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/men-grow-tobacco-drinking-money-women-feed-families/
