Are you an entrepreneur, service provider or mobile network operator using mobile technology to promote clean energy, water and sanitation? You may be eligible for The Mobile for Development Utilities Innovation Fund! This innovation fund will award GBP 3.3 million in grant funds to 15 – 17 organizations. The deadline for concepts notes is September 3, 2017.
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Meet Our Innovators
PARTNERING TO GROW THE MARKET FOR OFF-GRID ENERGY SOLUTIONS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
THE PROBLEM
More than 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live without access to electricity. Most countries are unlikely to connect their entire populations to grid electricity for years, if not decades. As a result, many households rely on expensive, dangerous, pollution-causing kerosene, and diesel fuel for their energy needs.
THE CHALLENGE
Scaling Off-Grid Energy will accelerate growth in the off-grid energy market to provide 20 million households in sub-Saharan Africa with access to modern, clean, and affordable electricity. Our vision is to spur a vibrant marketplace of enterprises that provide off-grid energy solutions that meet the needs of low-income consumers across the African continent.
THE APPROACH
Scaling Off-Grid Energy is a platform for leading donors and investors to develop Africa’s off-grid energy sector and coordinate investments to connect more households and businesses to electricity, faster. Scaling Off-Grid Energy will incentivize technological innovation, fund early stage companies, and support critical elements of the off-grid ecosystem.
The founding partners – the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K. Department for International Development, and the Shell Foundation – aim to advance the goals and commitments made under the U.S. and U.K. flagship energy access initiatives, Power Africa and Energy Africa.
Key Activities
- Expanding Supply: We support companies that serve off-grid customers by helping them expand geographically, test new business models and tap into private and public sources of finance.
- Driving Demand: We build consumer demand for off-grid power systems by encouraging innovation in products and services customers want and need, including energy efficient household appliances, energy storage, and digital financial services.
- Strengthening the Marketplace: We expand off-grid energy solutions by promoting policy and regulatory reforms, spurring the growth of mobile payment systems, and building capacity in local markets.
