In 2018 the POWERED (Promotion of Women in Energy Related Enterprises for Development) programme was launched by FCDO India and SF to increase gender inclusion across the energy value chain, which is vital if the UN SDG7 is to be met. S4S Technologies was one of the first businesses supported through the POWERED programme, established…
Mini-grids are essential to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), which aims to provide universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, 238 million households will need to gain access to electricity. It is estimated that mini-grids can serve nearly half of these…
With the support of Shell Foundation and the UK Government’s FCDO Agricultural Research arm through the CASEE programme, Factor[e] Ventures has been building a world-leading portfolio of impact ventures at the ag-energy nexus while simultaneously developing key insights to move innovation at this intersection forward. In 2019-20, Factor[e] developed a programme of demonstration projects with…
How can the direct impacts of biogas support the achievement of the SDGs? How does this impact vary between different market segments? A new report – commissioned by Shell Foundation with co-funding from the Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office – analyses the contribution of biogas towards SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)…
VentureBuilder has produced two learning papers outlining how they have continued to build an investment pipeline of locally owned and managed African off-grid operators, by refining its sourcing model and build operator resilience by adapting its business support offerings. Shell Foundation has supported VentureBuilder (VB) since 2019 with co-funding from USAID and…
A new consumer study from Nayo Tropical Technology Limited (NTT) shows the material impact of solar mini-grids in Nigeria on livelihoods, income and education. NTT currently owns and operates four solar mini-grids, and is expanding its portfolio with 14 new mini-grids under construction. Shell Foundation has supported NTT since 2019 with co-funding from UKAID, USAID…
As the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic continues to unfold, rural households are among those most impacted. This learning brief — commissioned by SF with co-funding from the Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office and the Mastercard Foundation Rural and Agricultural Finance Learning Lab (RAFLL) — examines actual impacts of Covid-19 on rural households in…
Pula, which provides accessible, scalable insurance solutions for smallholder farmers by bundling insurance with the inputs farmers already use including seeds and fertiliser, has produced a new learning report exploring how gender plays a role in registration decisions in East and Southern Africa. The report, co-funded by Shell Foundation and the UK government, uses Pula’s…
The African Mini-Grid Developers Association, co-created by SF in 2018, has released its first major publication, ‘Benchmarking Africa’s Mini-Grids’, which uses coordinated sector data to provide a detailed overview of the sector in Africa. “With this report, we’re opening the door to a new era in the mini-grid sector,” said Aaron Leopold, AMDA’s CEO. “Transparency…
Founded in 2015, SMV Green Solutions (SMV) has been pioneering the growth of the e-rickshaw sector in India, enabling sustainable development outcomes for low income communities, women and the environment, as well as demonstrating the business case to accelerate EV adoption beyond metropolitan cities. This new learning report looks at how, with SF and UK…