Newsletter – February 2015 Richenda’s Message Top Stories Member Announcements Featured Member Funding Opportunities Events Monthly News Clips New Energy Access Reports New Practitioner Members

Dear Friends, This month saw our team on the ground in Tanzania with more than 100 participants at a workshop focused around the SE4ALL country action agenda development process in Tanzania. The event, co-organized by the UN Foundation’s Energy Access Practitioner Network and the World Wide Fund for Nature, provided a valuable platform for engagement for the Minister of Energy in Tanzania and an array of clean energy entrepreneurs and civil society organizations. The Government of Tanzania subsequently announced a new “One Million Solar Homes” partnership with Practitioner Network member Off:Grid Electric and several multilateral investors to bring solar electricity to a million families in Tanzania by 2017. The report coming out of the workshop, summarizing the collective insights and input from the sector, is being shared with the Government as well as Sustainable Energy For All, and will soon be available on our website. On February 19, we hosted for the first time a workshop on quality assurance in bulk purchasing for small scale renewable energy solutions applicable in humanitarian emergency settings in Washington D.C. For this event we partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Global Off-grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), the Safe Access to Fuel and Energy initiative (SAFE) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). A number of our members have been involved in various disaster relief efforts over the years ranging from the earthquake in Haiti, to flooding in Pakistan and the response to 2013’s typhoon Haiyan. Their roles have included manufacturing, procuring and deploying a range of solar products at short notice, when supply chains may be disrupted, and local markets may not be functioning. IFC is developing a draft technical guidance note for aid organizations to use when making such procurements. Your input as sector experts for this draft technical guidance note is invited and valued as a way to help strengthen the role of sustainable energy in global disaster response. Warm regards,

Richenda Van Leeuwen Executive Director, Energy Access, United Nations Foundation

@VanLeeuwenR TOP STORIES Clean Energy Mini-grids: Milestones and charting the way forward Since its launch in June 2014 at the First Sustainable Energy For All Forum in New York, the Sustainable Energy for All Clean Energy Mini-grids High Impact Opportunity area has notched up some significant milestones. Key achievements over the first six months include several policy and project initiatives launched in Africa and Asia. The HIO secured the support of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) for the Green Mini-Grids Africa Program in Kenya and Tanzania. Practitioners, governments and others can access a Mini-Grids Policy Toolkit that has been developed by the EU Energy Initiative’s Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI-PDF), the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st century (REN21). On investment and financing routes for mini-grids, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has developed an investment business case, in partnership with Energia de Portugal (EDP), for clean energy mini-grids in Mozambique. Clean energy mini-grids projects proposed by UNEP in South Africa and Tanzania have also received the support of national governments. Developed in association with the UK's Carbon Trust and CSIR of South Africa, and Helios Social Enterprise for Tanzania, these programs are expected to electrify five villages in South Africa and 10 in Tanzania. In Asia, the Rockefeller Foundation’s $75M Smart Power for Environmentally Sound Economic Development (SPEED) initiative focuses on India and aims to electrify 1,000 villages between 2014 and 2017. The intention is to promote sustainable business models that deliver renewable electricity and spur

economic development among poor, underserved rural populations. By 2017 the program expects to have at least 30 mini-grids up and running, particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A five-year vision plan by the SE4ALL high impact opportunity members will be presented at the Second Sustainable Energy For All Forum in May 2015, and the completion of a Mini-Grids Quality Assurance Framework by the US Department of Energy is expected in Spring 2015, with partnerships to pilot the framework following. The Clean Energy Mini-Grids High Impact Opportunity six month progress report, compiled by the SE4ALL HIO steering committee members leading the objectives and informed by its broader membership’s additional activities, is available online. The UN Foundation co-leads the Secretariat for the HIO together with the Alliance for Rural Electrification. Earthspark Founder Daniel Schnitzer, co-chair of the Energy Access Practitioner Network micro-grids working group, serves as a liaison into the work of the HIO for the Network, particularly for those members without the bandwidth to engage directly. Practitioner Network members working on mini-grid solutions are, however, also welcome to join the HIO directly. More information is available via the HIO webpage. Country characteristics influence viability of off-grid solutions, says Rockefeller Foundation With the right environmental conditions and business model, decentralized energy solutions can play a role in addressing the energy access issues in communities, says a new report published by Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP) and The Rockefeller Foundation. "Decentralized electricity in Africa and Southeast Asia: Issues and Solutions" assesses the suitability of off-grid energy systems across seven countries - Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Ghana - by building on the lessons learned through the Rockefeller Foundation’s work to address the energy needs of poor and vulnerable populations in rural India. According to David Taylor, of ADP, key takeaways and recommendations from the report include the importance of: • Building key partnerships with anchor load clients, financial institutions and technology suppliers, and collaborate with agencies and organizations involved in engaging off-grid communities. • Testing the effectiveness of distribution models across pilot sites to understand the right fit for regional cultures. • Understanding the penetration of competitor models and customer willingness to move up the energy ladder to reduce the risk of entry failure. • Working with government agencies and utilities when selecting regions and communities for entry in order to limit grid competition. • Developing a robust employee value proposition and assessing capability requirements to attract and retain top talent. • Providing debt, guarantees, bridge financing, and other concessionary support needed to catalyze this model. • Engaging community leaders and members to develop collaborative vested interest, ultimately helping to understand the full landscape, identify resource capacity, support load development, and deter theft. A blog and full report are available here. Lighting Africa: Moving Consumers up the Energy Ladder

From catalyzing the market for affordable solar lighting products in un-electrified areas of Africa, the IFC-World Bank Lighting Africa program will now focus on solar home system (SHS) kits. The SHS kits range between 10W and 100W, and will typically include a solar module (panel), a power control unit, a power storage unit (battery), and multiple lights, to help power a range of devices from radios and fans to computers and television sets. Manufacturers are also developing a new generation of super-efficient solar powered appliances to better meet the energy needs of households and small businesses. At the same time, a number of solar energy companies are adopting mobile pay-as-you-go (PAYG) systems to reduce barriers to uptake, allowing low-income African consumers access to solutions without the deterrent of high initial upfront costs. Piloted in Kenya and Ghana, Lighting Africa is now operational in 10 countries in Africa. The "right" moment for an entry-level Pay-As-You-Go lamp

By Victoria Arch

Following the release of the Sun King Eco Easy Buy, a pay-as-you-go innovation from Greenlight Planet

and Angaza Design, Victoria Arch makes the following case for pay-as-you-go lanterns as the “true” first

rung of the energy access ladder:

"A debate over the benefits of solar lamps versus solar home systems (SHSs) has recently become more

prevalent, with suggestions that there is an inherent trade-off between the two that makes one option

exclusive of the other. Outright purchases of SHSs are (editor's note: arguably) only possible for a

higher-income portion of the off-grid population, which excludes some of the most underserved

populations, particularly those that have very little disposable income. Financing can facilitate access to

large household systems, and has been proven in the extremely successful Bangladesh SHS market.

However, replicating the Bangladeshi success requires a similar pool of low-interest capital that is not

readily available outside of targeted government programs.

Thus the case for the individual solar lantern is, above all, one of financial practicality. Even then,

although currently there are several high-quality solar lanterns on the market, costing on average $10

per lantern, the price is still too high for many who cannot afford these one-off payments.

The Greenlight Planet – Angaza Design Eco Easy Buy solar lantern connects the purchasing pattern of

Bottom of the Pyramid customers with an innovative pay-as-you-go system that illustrates the need for

smaller, more affordable – and therefore more sustainable – payment methods for the energy-poor.

Kerosene-dependent households and businesses that cannot afford one-off payments can purchase the

Eco Easy Buy in staggered weekly payments – the same way they currently purchase expensive and

harmful kerosene – without incurring the same costs financially, and with inherent health benefits.

This makes pay-as-you-go solar lanterns extremely affordable, thus representing the true first rung of

the modern energy ladder. In addition, energy consumers that purchase the lamp gain an informal

“credit” score on Angaza’s software system that de-risks the financing for their future purchase of a

higher-wattage solar device, moving them to the next rung. Decreased financing risk increases the

likelihood of private capital deployment into the market to join innovative leaders like SunFunder,

easing working capital constraints throughout the value chain and facilitating scale."

Victoria Arch is Director of Strategy, Angaza Design.

‘Biomass-power-in-a-box’ wins California Energy Commission’s $2 million stamp of approval

Energy Access Practitioner Network member All Power Labs won a grant for US $2 million from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to complete commercialization and deployment of the Powertainer. Built in partnership with the University of Minnesota and Cummins Power Engineering, the Powertainer is a compact 100kW gasifier, engine, and hopper feed system that turns waste to energy. Slash piles from forest thinning and dead wood clearing are a major problem across California. Instead of burning the problem away as usual, APL’s Powertainers will address the air pollution involved by turning the wood "waste" into cleaner, on-demand, renewable energy. A CEC grant is considered to be an excellent form of third party validation for clean tech endeavors in California. APL estimates the potential market for the Powertainer in California will require the deployment of at least 500 Powertainers. The funding will enable new design and reliability testing cycles that will help take the Powertainer beyond a prototype and make it a commercial power-ready product for highly regulated markets like California. While the CEC grant focuses on deploying the Powertainer in forestry management and grid balancing via dispatchable generators, APL believes the platform has broader relevance in other markets. The Powertainer will be available for the mass market in 2016. ‘Light Library’ brightens education for children in rural Senegal

Students in 58 rural schools in Senegal were recently introduced to a different kind of library — a

luminothèque – or library of solar lights, thanks to an innovative Light Library campaign for schools

located in off-grid communities from SolarAid, a London-based international charity that provides

renewable energy solutions for poverty and addressing climate change.

Designed and delivered by SunnyMoney, a social enterprise from SolarAid, in partnership with the

Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASER), the Light Library Project allows students to borrow solar

lanterns from a library of solar lights.

“The solar light has changed our opinion. At the beginning we didn’t believe in it, but after using it we

see that this is something very interesting to experience,” said Sada Ndiaye, a parent.

Children and their families are able to experience a cleaner and more affordable source of lighting and a

safer and better quality learning environment for the children at school and at home. “[The Library] has

played a very important role in the school because it urges parents to bring their children to school,”

said Babcar Ndome, Head teacher at a Light Library school.

The schools that received the Light Libraries were chosen based on their lack of electricity, the relatively

large student body, and the regions’ high poverty rate. “[The parents] are very satisfied because some of

them could not afford to give their flashlight to their children every time they needed it to do their

homework,” said Landing Djiba, head teacher at one of the Light Library schools.

Funded by Lighting Africa, the Light Library project aims to increase awareness of and access to solar

lights in off-grid rural areas: “Thanks to it, the children study longer at night, the enrolment rate has

increased and the results are better too,” said Thierno Sow, another head teacher at a Light Library

school.

So far, a total of 4,798 lights were made available to the Ministry of Education and managed by the

schools, giving 6,115 students direct access to the lights and reaching nearly 55,000 people.

MEMBER NEWS

Skynotch Energy wins 2015 green pioneer accelerator Kenya award

Skynotch Energy was among 11 Kenyan enterprises selected by the Green Pioneer Accelerator to join its

2015 program. The Green Pioneer Accelerator is a comprehensive business accelerator seeking to

support early stage enterprises contributing innovative solutions to environmental issues such as

climate change, loss of biodiversity and soil degradation. Skynotch Energy, which runs a mini-hydro

power generation plant, and works with small dealers to provide last-mile distribution for clean energy

solutions, was selected after a rigorous multi-phase selection process based on the viability of its

business model, the strength of its team, and its potential to solve challenges through innovative

products and creative solutions. The 16-week accelerator programs are being offered by Impact

Amplifier, Growth Africa, VC4Africa and Hivos to help take the selected businesses from ‘market proof’

to ‘ready for investment’.

Greenlight Planet raises $10 million for India and Southeast Asia distribution Solar energy product company Greenlight Planet has raised $10 million in funding led by Fidelity Growth Partners India to support its distribution expansion efforts in India and Southeast Asia. The deal, which follows a $4 million Series A round in 2012 led by global private equity firm Bamboo Finance, also saw participation from Deutsche Bank and Seattle-based impact investing firm Global Partnerships. The funds will be used mainly for growing the distribution of the company's solar products, as well as further product research. Fenix International Raises $12.6 Million in working capital financing Fenix International, a renewable energy company working in emerging markets, announced that it has closed $12.6 million in Series B financing. Fenix International partners with global telecom companies such as MTN, Orange and Vodafone to supply mobile-enabled solar systems to off-grid African communities. Fenix aims to enhance quality of life for people who lack access to energy, communications, or the credit necessary to make such purchases. Energy poverty illustrated EnAct has launched an expanded website that highlights the aims and approach of their visual project, while offering brief overviews of different types of energy poverty: www.en-act.org. ONergy: Looking back on Impact ONergy estimates that it has reached 200,000 people since 2010 through its range of solar solutions, registering annual growth of over 200%. The company developed innovative products in plug and play solar home lighting systems and its inONvation incubator has launched two major projects, ONergizing agriculture and ONergizing education. In 2014 ONergy become a leading player in West Bengal, Odisha & Jharkhand, serving the remotest and most difficult regions of the country. ONergy also launched the PowerBox last year as part of its series of ‘Affordable and Smart Mini Solar Home Lighting Systems’. Fosera Expands Operations in Africa with Third Assembly Line in Kenya

German manufacturer of solar lighting products Fosera has opened a product assembly line in Kenya in partnership with a local manufacturer of solar panels, Ubbink East Africa. This is Fosera’s third assembly line for modern off-grid solar lighting products in Africa, after Mozambique and Ethiopia. Niwa Partners with Sun Transfer to Assemble Solar Products in Ethiopia Niwa and SunTransfer have partnered to set up a company that will assemble solar products in Ethiopia. The new venture – STM Solar Technologies Manufacturing S.C. – will produce solar lanterns and modular solar home lighting kits. FEATURED MEMBER – Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC): Calling Kenya’s Energy and Climate Innovators

The Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) offers services to a growing network of climate innovators

based or operating in Kenya. KCIC provides incubation and capacity building services, access to

information, an enabling ecosystem, and access to finance for ventures that are involved in agribusiness,

water and sanitation and renewable energy.

RIWIK, a KCIC member, designs and installs solar PV systems, solar water heaters, solar water pumps and back-up systems. Photo Credit: RIWIK

Keekonyokie, a company working with KCIC, packages biogas from slaughterhouse waste in 6-kg cylinders. Photo Credit: Keekonyokie

Working together with the Kenyan private sector, KCIC is looking for opportunities to expand the country’s

agriculture, energy and water infrastructure to serve the needs of the growing population, while

addressing the effects of climate change and improving living standards. According to KCIC’s CEO Edward

Mungai, “The question is no longer, is climate change happening? But rather, what do we do about it?”

KCIC aims to support a mix of economic, environmental and social outcomes, including job creation,

reduction of carbon emissions, greater climate resiliency, access to clean energy, safer drinking water,

better sanitation, strengthened technology transfer and enhanced local innovation capacity. KCIC

currently supports 108 clean technology start-ups, 64 of them in renewable energy, including solar,

biogas, briquettes, clean cook stoves and bio-ethanol.

KCIC’s work in renewable energy resonates with the goals of Sustainable Energy for All. The renewable

energy start-ups supported by KCIC work towards SE4ALL’s energy access and efficiency goals - universal

access to modern energy services and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

It helps to deploy a range of different sustainable energy products and distribution models to help those

at the base-of-the-pyramid access energy using pico-solar, solar photovoltaics, small hydro and clean

energy mini-grids.

KCIC remains committed to helping clean technology start-ups access capital to expand their operations.

In September 2014, KCIC, in partnership with World Bank–InfoDev and Crowdfund Capital Advisors, began

the first ever crowdfunding pilot for clean technology entrepreneurs in East Africa. Six entrepreneurs who

ranked highest in the crowdfunding pitching competition went through training and mentoring for four

months. Three of them have now launched their own crowdfunding campaigns on Indiegogo:

#WandaRevolution, #BriquetteEnergyDrive, #LightingupKenya.

Contact: Ernest Chitechi, Outreach and Partnerships Manager at echitechi@kenyacic.org; Phone: (+254)

703 034 701 / 703 034 704 / 703 034 000

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Request for Information: Off-grid clean energy solutions for Benin The Government of the United States, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), is developing a $300 million compact with the Government of Benin (GOB) focused on Benin’s electrical power sector. Only one-third of Benin’s population of ten million has access to electrical power. To meet this energy challenge, concepts to address one of the following potential focus areas are sought: Critical public infrastructure, Community and commune-level electricity generation and distribution, Household-level generation and storage, Energy efficiency measures. Awards will be in the form of a matching cash grant to a project sponsor who will provide at least half of the total project cost in cash or through in-kind services. Organizations should provide the information requested by March 6, 2015. To learn more and respond, contact: benin@mcc.gov. R&D project support from Innovate UK Innovate UK supports R&D projects by Indian and UK businesses. Funding is available to help UK and Indian businesses work together to address challenges in any of the following areas: clean energy, affordable healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and use of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT). The program is open to businesses and research and academic institutions based in the UK or India. Projects must demonstrate economic and societal benefits for underserved populations in India. Applications close April 15, 2015. Global Innovation Fund call for applications The Global Innovation Fund (GIF) invites applications from social enterprises, for-profit firms, non-profit organizations, researchers, and government agencies that offer breakthrough solutions to global development challenges, including for energy access. GIF will offer grants, loans, and equity investments ranging from £30,000 to £10,000,000 at three different stages of a project: pilot, test and transition, and scaling up. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more here. Private Financing Advisory Network for Asia call for proposals The USAID regional Private Financing Advisory Network for Asia (PFAN-Asia) is looking for projects and companies that need financing for developing renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean transport related businesses in any of the following 12 countries: Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. PFAN-Asia is a five-year regional program that aims to accelerate private sector investment in clean energy projects and

greenhouse gas emission reductions, open to businesses based in Southeast Asia and South Asia. It provides investment readiness assessments, mentoring services, match-making to investors, and tipping point assistance. Submit applications – including a business plan or project executive summary – in electronic format to asia@cti-pfan.net. For more information, watch this video. Applications now open for the Zayed Future Energy prize Submissions and nominations are open for the 2016 Zayed Future Energy Prize, an annual US $4 million award that recognizes individuals, organizations and schools for advancing solutions that will meet the challenges of climate change, energy security and the environment. Apply for the 2016 Prize here in the categories of Large Corporation, Small and Medium Enterprise, Non-Profit Organization and Global High Schools as well as nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award. TOOLS & RESOURCES Clean Energy Solutions Center policy assistance The CESC has published three compilations of assistance provided through its Ask an Expert policy assistance service to governments in Asia, Africa and the Latin America/Caribbean region. Access these publications here.

ENERGY ACCESS EVENTS Planning for Universal Energy Access Webinar (available only in Spanish) February 25, 2015 The webinar (available only in Spanish), hosted by the UN Foundation and the Clean Energy Solutions Center, will provide information on how countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can receive technical assistance from the IDB for carrying out their plans for universal access to energy.

The International Invest'€lec Salon Yaoundé, March 10-13, 2015

International ARE Energy Access Workshop, March 5, 2015, Madrid, Spain

4th Annual Powering Africa meeting Maputo, May 7-8, 2015

Solar Energy East Africa March 10-11, 2015, Nairobi, Kenya

Solar Energy West Africa April 21- 22, 2015, Accra, Ghana

CSW59 2015

9-20 March 2015, New York (energy access events on March 9 & 12)

http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw59-2015

Amstad Global’s Project Finance In Renewable Energy 2015

April 16-17, 2015, Vienna-Austria

MES2015: Micro Perspectives for Decentralized Energy Supply

April 23-25, 2015 Bangalore – India

EUBCE 2015: 23rd European Biomass conference and exhibition

1-4 June, Vienna-Austria

The Second United Nations Sustainable Energy For All Forum

18-22 May 2015, UNHQ, New York

MONTHLY NEWS CLIPS

One Million Solar Homes planned for Tanzania - PV Magazine The Tanzanian national government has announced its One Million Solar Homes initiative aimed at providing a million Tanzanian homes with access to reliable solar electricity by the end of 2017. Africa's new breed of solar energy entrepreneurs - BBC A new breed of entrepreneurs bring solar power to millions of Africans who don't have access to electricity. What Fenix International’s Investment Says About Solar Beyond The Grid In 2015 – Sierra Club We’re only one month into 2015 and it already looks like it’ll be a wild ride when it comes to investment in solar energy beyond the grid. Off-Grid Solar Firms Should Focus on Customer Experience, Not Just Energy Access – Sun Connect Companies working to bring solar to developing countries need to improve their service delivery if they want to attain disruptive levels of deployment. Solar-Powered Tent Keeps Food Fresh Without a Fridge - EcoWatch In countries where electricity and water are scarce, keeping food from spoiling is a challenge. Cameroon to See a 72-MW Solar PV Facility – Alternative Energy-Africa The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) to support the development of a 72-MW Solar Photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Cameroon. NEW ENERGY ACCESS REPORTS High Impact Opportunity on Clean Energy Mini-grids

The report summarizes the HIO’s achievements and progress to date, suggests priorities for the HIO in the next six months, and outlines HIO members’ own plans relevant to the objectives of the HIO in the next six months. The full report is available here. Annual Report 2014, ESMAP & ASTAE The annual report takes a comprehensive look at ESMAP's programs, activities and results for Fiscal Year 2014. It highlights ESMAP’s key program areas such as clean energy, energy access, energy efficient cities, and energy assessments and strategies with sections on special initiatives such as the SIDS DOCK Support Program for small island developing states; the Africa Renewable Energy and Access Program (AFREA); Gender and Social Inclusion in the Energy Sector; and Results-Based Approaches to Energy Sector Development. Product Evaluation of Solar Lanterns in Uganda, MIT Researchers of the Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) conducted over 300 interviews to evaluate 11 types of solar lanterns using a 3-S framework: Suitability, Scalability, Sustainability. Policy makers guide to off-grid lighting - UNEP Three publications have been put together by UNEP, ECREEE, GOGLA and the German government

(BMZ) to help policy-makers navigate the off-grid lighting policy process. The publications specifically

focus on Africa and reveal several critical impacts of fuel-based lighting in developing country contexts,

analyze the role of market transformation on job creation in West Africa and synthesize and review

existing information on the presence of, and interplay between, energy subsidies and off-grid lighting.

NEW PRACTITIONER NETWORK MEMBERS Welcome to the following organizations that have joined the network: Battery & Solar Power Service Centre / Tanzania BuffaloGrid / London Capstone Solutions / United States cKinetics / India Coastal and Marine Union (EUCC) / The Netherlands CSOLAR / Sweden Innov8tive EnerG / South Africa Let There Be Light International / United States PTL Solar FZ LLC / United Arab Emirates Rexel Foundation / France Solo Energy / United States Songa Energy, LLC / United States UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre / Germany Village Energy Limited / Uganda WEET Enterprises Ltd. / Kenya Zolair Energy / Canada