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Hacking energy: low-tech “jugaad” energy innovation gives high-tech a run for its money

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Interview with Jaideep Prabhu Jawaharal Nehru Professor of Business and Enterprise at the Judge Business School at Cambridge University Location: United Kingdom; India “There is no shortage of ingenuity”. Jaideep Prabhu is the Jawaharal Nehru Professor of Business and Enterprise at the Judge Business School at Cambridge University, and he directs the university’s Centre for …

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In Nigeria, biogas offers agricultural communities energy

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Interview with Fatima Oyiza Ademoh Project Manager, Ajima Farms and General Enterprises Nigeria Ltd Location: Nigeria “Biogas can power homes and communities”. “I have always wanted to reduce the numbers of people living in energy poverty”, says Fatima Ademoh. Her first off-grid project, connecting the village of Rije, Nigeria to a biogas generator, will be …

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Trust, training essential for off-grid energy start ups

Energy Entrepreneurs /

Interview with Salinee Hurley Tavaranan, CEO & Founder, SunSawang Formerly Director at Border Green Energy Team “We don’t do solar for free anymore. We started charging for it and now it’s working”. Salinee Tavaranan is trained as a solar engineer. But she’s learned the policy and finance side of the business as well, after more than 10 …

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For Tanzania’s Chololo Ecovillage, a focus on education makes investment go further

Energy Entrepreneurs /
Mary Mpilimi says: “Now I don’t have to beg money for my husband for things like clothing, medicine and school fees."

Interview with Michael Farrelly Chololo Ecovillage Location: Tanzania “If 70 percent of your population is dependent on rain-fed agriculture, then climate change is a big issue”. With a masters degree in rural development, Michael Farrelly has brought a knowledge of participatory research methods to the Chololo Ecovillage. By offering villagers a wide range of climate-resilient techniques to …

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Smart Villages Podcast 1 – Cambridge graduates pursue smart villages projects – Interview with Dr Nalin Patel

Podcast /

In Smart Villages Podcast 1, host Sir Brian Heap interviews Dr Nalin Patel, Programme Manager of the Winton Porgramme for the Physics of Sustainabililty at the world famous Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Dr Patel tells about the experimental research they are currently conducting on batteries and superconductors. He also explains the links …

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Stirling engines – energy for off-grid villages?

Video /

Having already designed Stirling engines for aerospace, Dr Mike Dadd of the University of Oxford discusses the pros and cons of a biomass-powered Stirling engines for producing electricity in off-grid villages.

Why rural communities matter

Video /

Dr Shailaja Fennell of the Centre for Development Studies (University of Cambridge) discusses why understanding rural communities needs and aspirations are crucial for improving rural development.

Interview with Dr Scott Watkins

Video /

Center: Dr Scott Watkins Based in both Seoul, Korea and in Melbourne, Australia, watkins directs new business development with KISCO, a Korean chemicals and inks manufacturer. His role is to help develop new strategies and business areas. He continues to pursue further opportunities contributing to social enterprises and technology startups. Left: Julia Vitullo-Martin Julia Vitullo-Martin …

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What makes village “smart”?

Video /

1.3 people in the world still lack access to electricity, and at least 3 billion people are still cooking on dangerous and inefficient cookstoves that create dangerous conditions inside homes. We’re trying to understand how the lives of people in rural villages in developing countries can be improved… In this video, Smart Villages asked experts …

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Education and entrepreneurship: How solar energy impacts Tanzanian villages

Video /

How has solar energy changed the lives of people in rural Tanzania? In this video, you’ll hear from villagers themselves – including small business owners and students. You’ll also hear from Mobisol, one of several companies active in providing solar energy to rural villages. Video by: Steve Martin Saning’o, Terrat, Tanzania

Energy and ICT for educational inclusion in Latin America

Essay /

Although Latin America has experienced a successful decade of reduction in poverty and inequality, it continues to be the most unequal region in the world1. The persistence of high levels of social injustice is not accidental: its profound structural causes are rooted in unfair political, economic and social institutional frameworks, which have been shaped throughout …

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In Nigeria, a young entrepreneur sees mini-grids as rural energy’s future

Energy Entrepreneurs, Top Story /

Interview with Ifeanyi B. Orajaka Managing Director / CEO Green Village Electricity Projects Ltd. Location: Nigeria “When everything else crumbles, it’s your integrity that will be able to pull you up again” Ifeanyi B. Orajaka holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical / Electronics Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria. He has vast experience …

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Will private-sector finance support off-grid energy?

Essay /

Providing the world’s poor with modern energy services represents an investment challenge. The United Nations Sustainable Energy For All (SE4All) initiative estimates that energy access in developing countries requires investments of US$ 45 billion annually by 2030 to step up to this challenge1. This means that the US$ 9 billion per year currently invested in …

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Energy for Displaced Communities: How could Smart Villages help?

Blog /

There are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people and 21.3 million refugees, hosted across the world (UNHCR). “Few forcibly displaced people” have access to modern energy. Out of 8.7 million refugees and displaced people in camps, only 11% have access to “reliable energy sources for lighting” (Chatham House, 2015). However, forcibly displaced people and refugees are …

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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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