Renewable Energy

CrossBoundary in partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 officially launched the Mini-Grid Innovation Lab. The Lab, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, is the first R&D Fund for sub-Saharan Africa that focuses exclusively on testing business model innovations in the mini-grid sector. Over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to electricity. The Lab conservatively estimates that at ...

Residents of Umuezeka and Ekwashi communities in Ohaukwu Local Government Area in Ebonyi State are rejoicing, what with the recent installation of solar powered agro-processing industry by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria and Energy of Commission of Nigeria (ECN) in collaboration with Ngbo Women Empowerment Cooperative Union. A building was constructed to safely accommodate both the electro-mechanical equipment ...

Experts at a panel discussion on off-grid systems at the 2018 Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) have identified off-grid systems as the way out Africa’s rural electrification challenges. This is coming on the heels of the report that about 40% of new connections required to achieve universal energy access will come from off-grid solutions with 35% being mini-grid solutions and ...

Increasing the speed of global renewable energy adoption by at least a factor of six – critical to meeting energy-related emission reduction needs of the Paris Climate Agreement – can limit global temperature rise to two degrees, according to the latest edition of the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) long-term renewable energy outlook. At the same time, the report finds ...

A not-for-profit group, Friends of the Environment (FOTE), and some stakeholders on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 urged policy makers to enforce tree felling and planting laws for a safer, cleaner and protected environment. The stakeholders made the call at the FOTE stakeholders’ forum on “Popularising the Use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)’’ as an alternative source of energy held in ...

Delegates from 95 countries comprising energy experts, government leaders, entrepreneurs and civil society have underlined the importance of deploying innovative solutions and technologies to fast-track the global energy transition. This came out strongly as the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue kicked off on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 in the German capital. In an opening address at the 4th edition of the dialogue, ...

In Nigeria, about 50% of the population (estimated to be about 191 million people) are not connected to the national electricity grid and majority are located in the rural areas. Umon Island and Bagana Community, both located in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State are among the numerous communities in the country that are not connected to the ...

The Africa Mini-grid Developers Association (AMDA) on Friday, April 13, 2018 announced its official establishment. The trade association – currently numbering 11 member companies including innovative start-ups and established utilities – aims to combine private sector innovation, efficiency, and customer service with public sector support to help end energy poverty across Africa. AMDA is said to be the first trade ...

Some solar energy consumers and other Nigerians on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 attributed the slow pace at embracing the technology to the high cost of installation materials. They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the rising cost of PhotoVoltaic (PV) panels, inverters, and batteries was a major challenge to the installation of the technology. According to ...

The third West Africa Forum for Climate and Clean Energy Financing (WAFCCEF-3), scheduled to hold on Thursday, April 12, 2018 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, will showcase some of the most promising clean energy investment opportunities on the sub-region. Hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the forum is organised by the Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) in partnership with the ...