Newsletter March 2016
Dear Friends,
This month we report on a new microgrid policy in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh, particularlyrelevant to members of the network like OMC Power, Mera Gao Power, Husk Power and othersoperating in India, as well as investors interested in this market.
Together with the World Bank, UNF has launched a quarterly newsletter focused specifically on microand minigrids as part of the work of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4All) on energy access inthe “clean energy minigrids high impact opportunity” area. We welcome Practitioner Network membersto sign up for the minigrids newsletter to help track developments on financing, international policy andpractice.
Warm Regards,
Richenda Van Leeuwen Executive Director, Energy Access,
United Nations Foundation.@VanLeeuwenR
Senegal Plans to Add 200 MW of Solar Power via the ‘Scaling Solar’ Program Senegal is the second country to join the International Finance Corporation (IFC)’s Scaling Solarinitiative with the aim to enhance the country’s share of solar power by 200 MW. The first auction for atleast 100 MW of capacity is expected to be held this year. Under the program, the IFC will help organizecompetitive reverse auctions for solar, as well as provide financing and guarantees for investors in orderto reduce funding risks associated with the sector. The selected bidders will be offered nonnegotiableproject documents, including a powerpurchase agreement and a government support agreement. Thissignals a different approach for Senegal, as in the past the government negotiated new power projectsdirectly with builders.
New Fund for Women is the Next Step in Kiva’s Evolution kivaCrowdfunding platform Kiva recently partnered with the United States Department of State and the InterAmerican Development Bank to launch the Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund, signaling the next step inthe crowdfunding platform’s ongoing expansion into impact investing. The fund aims to enable onemillion women entrepreneurs to access loans ranging from $450 to $100,000 over the next five years. Itwill match dollarfordollar what “citizen lenders” give to women entrepreneurs through the Kiva website.With the fund, the partners aim to ensure further reach into rural areas where the credit gap for womenis wider than urban areas.
With a Focus on Financing, India Increases Fund Allocation to the Indian Renewable EnergyDevelopment Agency The Finance Minister of India recently presented the union budget for 2016 2017, announcing asignificant investment of INR 91 billion (over US $1.3 billion) representing an increase of INR 37 billionover the previous year in the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), India’sgovernmentowned lender dedicated to renewable energy. The larger balance sheet will allow IREDA toprovide more lending to the private sector, enhancing its ability to provide greater debt funding.According to BRIDGE TO INDIA estimates, India is expected to add 5 GW of solar projects in 2016 and9 GW in 2017, up from just 2 GW in 2015.
ASEANU.S. Science Prize for Women (CLOSING SOON)
U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory Network Notice of Opportunity: Small BusinessVouchers (SBV) Request for Assistance (RFA), Deadline April 10, 2016
Apply for the 2016 Momentum for Change Awards, Deadline April 25, 2016
Second "Solar for All" Contest Now Open for Application (Deadline May 1, 2016)
Short Video Contest 2016: "Showcasing Community Solar Electrification Solutions" (DeadlineMay 1, 2016)
OPIC and Greenlight Planet Partner to Expand Offgrid Energy Access
Rockefeller Foundation to Finance Expansion of OMC Power’s Work on Minigrids
Mobisol Provides Energy Services to 200,000 Beneficiaries, Announces Upcoming KenyanMarket entry
SunFunder Raises $17 Million in Equity and Debt in 2015
Practitioner Network Members Shortlisted for the Ashden Awards
Practitioner Network Members Profiled for Their Work Around Nepal Earthquake Relief andCoordination Efforts
10,000 Biogas Plants to be Installed in Tanzania by SNV
All Power Labs Continues to Bring Innovation to the Power Pallet
Global Tools:
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Project Resource Center Energypedia’s database offers projectrelevant renewable energy and energy efficiency documents tothe global energy community. It includes sample Terms of Reference, examples of economic andfinancial analysis, sample legal & procurement documents, case studies with analyses of successfactors and lessons learned.
A New Trading Platform for Clean Cookstoves SNV, with support from GIZ’s Energising Development (EnDev), has launched the Stove Auction theworld's first auction dedicated to the sale of advanced biomass cookstoves in developing countries.
Regional Tools:
Universal Electrification Access This visualization tool by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)allows for further exploration of model results on electrification in Africa. Using open geospatial data, themodel finds which technologies provide electricity at the lowest cost to the population living in each 10 by10 km. area in included countries.
Uttar Pradesh, India Announces Minigrid Policy The new policy covers minigrids up to 500kW, and applies to all technologies.Some salient featuresinclude: projects in sites identified by the state are eligible for a 30% subsidy, if the subsidy route is taken
the tariffs are fixed, and if a grid connection arrives there are two exit routes.
Member Spotlight: SELCO FoundationPaving the Way for Energy Entrepreneurs in North EastIndia
By: Surabhi Rajagopal, SELCO Foundation What began in 2012 as an attempt by a young collegegraduate to set up a small solar shop in his home state ofManipur in North East India has slowly grown into amediumsized enterprise serving more than 500 ruralhouseholds in one of the toughest regions in the country.Devakishor, together with other colleagues, establishedMangaal Sustainable Solutions as a forprofit organizationseeking to meet the needs of remote, rural communities inManipur where more than 40% of rural households continueto be unelectrified (Source: 2011, Census of India, Sourcesof Lighting).
Photo Credit: Selco Foundation
The EconomistPower to the Powerless
ISNHow to Achieve Global Goal 7: Sustainable Energyfor All
ForeignAffairs.nzSolid Indicators Proposed for SDG7; GlobalTracking Framework Ready to Support
Thomas Reuters FoundationGreen Climate Fund Clears Way for $2.5 BillionFunding Challenge
UN Foundation BlogEnergy: A Superpower to Transform Lives
Welcome to the followingorganizations that have joined thePractitioner Network in the pastmonth:
Australia:Energetic Communities
Belgium:3E
Brazil:Green Social Bioethanol
Costa Rica:Axioma Estudio Juridico
Denmark:Anton Energy
Ethiopia:Clean Energy Redesign
EcoWatchLinking Investors to Renewable EnergyOpportunities in Emerging markets is Key toCOP21 Success
Lighting Global, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Global OffGridLighting AssociationOffGrid Solar Market Trends Report 2016
Global LEAPThe State of Global OffGrid Appliance Market
IRENAREmap: Roadmap for a Renewable Energy Future, 2016Edition
ECOWAS Renewable Energy Facility (EREF)Promoting Clean MiniGrids in Rural Areas
United Nations Enviornment Programme (UNEP GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF) en.lighten initiative Practical Guidance for Improving the Effectiveness ofMonitoring, Verification and Enforcement Activities
Germany:Soleos Solar
India:ICCO
Lytyfy
Oorja: Empowering RuralCommunities
Kyrgyzstan:Unison
Pakistan:Harness Energy
Spain:PRODEVELOP
CIDOB Barcelona
Sierra Leone:One Main Solar
Uganda:All in Trade Ltd.
United Kingdom:Azuri Health & Snact
InvestinGreen.Energy
United States:10 Power
U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Morocco Solar, Wind, &Hydro Projects 2016
April 45, 2016Rabat, Morocco
Africa EnergyInvestment Summit2016
April 1011, 2016Washington, D.C.
ARERECP OffGridInvestment Forum 2016
April 12 13, 2016Amsterdam, theNetherlands
Solar and OffGridRenewables WestAfrica
April 1920, 2016
UNESCO InternationalConference onTechnologies forDevelopment: From
Southern AfricaSummit
April 1920, 2016Accra, Ghana
Book using the promotional codeEAPN15 for a 15% discount onticket, exclusive to the EnergyAccess Practioner Network
Innovation to SocialImpact
May 24, 2016Lausanne, Switzerland
May 46, 2016Maputo, Mozambique
World Economic ForumAfrica
May 1113, 2016Kigali, Rwanda
African Utility Weekand Clean Power Africa2016
May 1719, 2016Cape Town, South Africa
World HumanitarianSummit
May 2324,2016Istanbul, Turkey
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