Resource Centre

This report investigates the potential of implementing the Energy as a Service (EaaS) model to bridge the significant energy access gap in Sub-Saharan Africa. With over 730 million people in the region lacking basic access to electricity, and projections showing that 620 million people will remain unconnected by 2030, approaches like EaaS are critical to achieving universal access.

This remote product tradeshow explores commercially viable, high-performing improved biomass cookstoves currently on the market for last mile distributors and their customers.

This remote product tradeshow explores commercially viable, high-performing electric pressure cookers (EPCs) currently on the market for last mile distributors and their customers.

Productive use of (renewable) energy (PUE) is commonly recognised as a potential contributor to economic development, particularly in food value chains. This paper focuses on the wider context of how to structure, scale and finance PUE as a sustainable business model. Furthermore, this publication emphasises the underlying financing challenges for PUE projects and companies in all application contexts (urban, rural, industrial, food value chain, etc.) and presents recommendations that may be integrated in financiers’ and investors’ approaches to PUE to better support the growth and financial sustainability of the sector.

This research was deemed necessary in light of the significant impact of cooling technologies to combat heat stress, reduce food losses and increase end-user income. The report also considers areas of intervention to make supply chains more resilient to pandemic-like situations. The results of this study are intended to provide an important component of the evidence base off-grid appliance stakeholders need, to support the increased adoption of affordable off-grid solar refrigeration appliances via an economically efficient appliance procurement strategy.

Supported by GET.invest, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has produced this report to assess the footprint of wind energy, its current role and promising future prospects across the African continent. The report maps out Africa’s installed wind power plants with a capacity greater than 1MW, offering readers a comprehensive view of the current state of project activity in Africa’s wind energy sector. It also outlines the future of wind energy in Africa by showcasing the pipeline of announced projects and various drivers for new wind capacity installations.

‘Recipe for Success’ webinar was kicked off by Ed Brown MECS Research Director introducing speakers from Acumen and GET.invest. Ed Brown briefly talked about Acumen’s experience of their patient equity investments in the Clean Cooking sector; part of this experience was derived from a number of pilot grants that were funded by UKAid through MECS Programme in collaboration with Acumen. 

The SolarPower Europe best practice guidelines for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of solar projects in sub-Saharan Africa are targeted at solar EPC service providers and other stakeholders, including asset owners, investors, lenders, and technical advisors and aim to establish common industry best practices.

The paper summarises the key points identified by the GET.invest Finance Catalyst advisory team based on insights from more than 100 renewable energy companies and project developers. To counteract the effects of the crises, the paper outlines specific measures to promote stability and investment readiness in the renewable energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa.

Aware of the importance of the publication of the regulation for energy access in off-grid areas in Mozambique on the 10th of December, ALER, in partnership with AMER and with the support of GET.invest Mozambique, organised a webinar for the presentation and discussion of the impacts of this long-awaited document in particular in the mini-grid and solar home systems market segments.

Green hydrogen has become the hot topic for industrial activity and decarbonization around the globe. Some African countries are ideally positioned to take part in the global race to produce the cheapest green hydrogen. Several landmark projects have already been announced and started across the continent. Moreover, Africa is in a special position where it could benefit twice from green hydrogen. The conference discussed current trends, industry outlooks, the latest technology, project updates and the players who are positioning on this very promising industry

The key takeaways from the GOGLA Deals Database with updated investment data until 2021.

A comprehensive and updated report on the state of play of renewable energy in Angola, allowing an overview of the latest and future developments in this sector.
The report includes information on the regulatory framework, resources, projects and financing of renewable energies, among others and acts as the reference document for all potential investors interested in investing in renewable energy in Angola.

The event aimed at reconnecting after the LMD Investor Forum 2021, share progress, and jointly decide on next steps; in particular, honing in on the LMD capital continuum to better understand where the gaps and opportunities lie.

This research summary includes insights on 1) Recap: faster- vs slower-growth LMDs, 2) Capital continuum overview, 3) Gaps, 4) Challenges for LMDs, 5) Solutions, and 6) GDC members’ experiences.

Download the Powering Jobs Census 2022: The Energy Access Workforce to learn how decentralized renewable energy (DRE)  job growth bounced back from the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. The sector continued to create good and meaningful employment  in sub-Saharan Africa and India since the last census (2019).

This portfolio of case studies showcases innovative decentralised renewable energy solutions and best practices from successful projects supporting rural communities recover better and faster from the pandemic, with a particular focus on climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

This tool is targeted particularly at last-mile distribution companies that want to prepare themselves for accessing finance. It presents a practical guide, helping to answer questions such as “What do we need funding for? Which type of funding should we be looking for? Which type of funders should we target? From these funders’ perspectives, are we ready for their investment?”.

This set of recommendations is targeted particularly at last-mile distribution companies that want to prepare themselves for introducing and presenting themselves to potential investors. As a practical guidance, it helps to answer questions such as “How do we attract the attention of funders? How do we pitch our business? How do we build relationships with funders?”.

This webinar dives into the new GDC tools aimed at helping early-stage last mile distribution (LMD) companies connect with investors. We also hear fundraising insights from GDC member Deevabits, top tips for approaching investors from Charm Impact, and more about GET.invest’s Finance Readiness Support Facility.

As an update of the briefing from 2021, this version gives valuable insights into the renewable energy market in Mozambique. Updates include: The Total Electrification Rate increased; The new Electricity Law and the Regulation of Access to Energy in Off-grid zones; Number of Mini-Grids increased; New Credit Lines for Renewables projects; A new chapter dedicated to the Commercial & Industrial sector.

The toolkit provides guidance for existing National Renewable Energy Associations (NREAs) and those considering establishing such associations. As a comprehensive and practical tool, it covers topics ranging from the development, improvement and maintenance of NREAS’ services to their members, to standards for management and good governance, to institutional sustainability.

Building on Version 4.0 of SolarPower Europe’s O&M Best Practice Guidelines, this edition is adapted to the sub-Saharan African context. It is a joint effort with ten African solar and renewable energy industry associations, from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The briefing compiles and organises the most relevant renewable energy market information for Mozambique.The document is divided into six chapters, the first two covering general market data and regulatory frameworks, and the following dedicated to different market segments, including IPPs, minigrids, solar home systems, and clean cooking.

The two-day forum attracted over 1,000 participants, with speakers discussing innovation as a key driver of economic growth, development, as well as climate mitigation and adaptation. In emerging markets, new high-quality and modular technologies, such as AI, advanced GIS mapping, remote monitoring, new control software and systems, as well as innovative energy storage solutions and productive use applications helps drive last-mile rural electrification with decentralised renewable energy.

The ARE Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF) is an annual business and political exchange event aimed at bringing together the private and public sector to debate the latest financing trends and developments in the rural electrification sector, do business and boost clean energy access globally and in particular in sub-Saharan Africa.

From 22 to 23 March, the Lusophone Renewable Energy Association (ALER) and the Mozambican Renewable Energy Association (AMER), in cooperation with GET.invest, organised the Europe-Mozambique Investment Forum: Renewables in Mozambique 2021. The event was organised in partnership with the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), the Global Association for the Off-Grid Solar Energy Industry (GOGLA) and SolarPower Europe (SPE). The Forum featured relevant players from the sector, who provided an overview of the renewable energy sector in Mozambique. Investment opportunities and initiatives recently launched by the Mozambican Government and its cooperation partners were presented in interactive virtual sessions.

The East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (EACREEE) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) co-organised the second edition of the Sustainable Energy Forum for East Africa (SEFEA) on 22-24 June 2021. The event was supported by GET.invest and UNIDO and held in English and French with simultaneous translations.

SolarPower Europe’s annual Global Market Outlook for Solar Power provides market analysis for the global solar power sector. The 2021 version has a dedicated off-grid sector chapter, covering solar home systems and small-scale applications; commercial and industrial installations; and mini-grids.

From 8-9 July, the Global Solar Council Virtual Forum took place. The two-day online event showcased the enormous potential of solar power to bring about a clean, fair and sustainable future and enable quality employment in all regions of the world, from cities to rural communities.

The European Commission and European development finance institutions speak about their initiatives aimed at fostering renewable energy development in emerging markets, including Africa. The experts present various support instruments that can help European businesses to develop projects in emerging markets in the spirit of the European Green Deal.

GOGLA, supported by GET.invest, has launched a new limited series podcast ‘Invest in the Sun’ highlighting the performance and potential of the off-grid solar sector for investors.

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Eastern Caribbean Solar Challenge and the Alliance for Rural Electrification co-organised a dialogue on Advancing Policy & Mobilising Investment: The Eastern Caribbean Solar Challenge on 2 September 2021. The event was supported by the Caribbean NDC Finance Initiative, GIZ, the Caribbean Development Bank and GET.invest.

In the webinar “Mitigating Foreign Exchange Risk for Solar Projects in Emerging Markets”, leading experts explored how to assess and manage risks related to changing currencies in the context of emerging markets, especially Sub-Saharan Africa.

This COP26 EU Side Events session highlighted the impact of EU financial mechanisms for private companies to accelerate rural electrification efforts, with testimonials from the ground.

In the second season of the Solar Success in Africa series, you will hear more about innovative solar projects bringing clean and reliable energy to communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. In the first episode in this series, Yosef Abramowitz, CEO of Gigawatt Global, discusses the potential for solar in Sub-Saharan Africa, financing and support instruments, and the many inspiring solar projects in Gigawatt Global’s pipeline.

In the second season of the Solar Success in Africa series, you will hear more about innovative solar projects bringing clean and reliable energy to communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. In the second episode in this series, we hear from Francine Munyaneza, Founder and CEO of Munyax Eco, a Rwandan solar company. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of founding a renewable energy company in Africa, access to financing, and the future of solar in the region.

In the second season of the Solar Success in Africa series, you will hear more about innovative solar projects bringing clean and reliable energy to communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. In the third episode of the podcast, Servaas Van Den Noortgate, Co-Founder of FlexGrid, reflects on the role of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in solar, Pay-As-You-Go financial models and facilitating rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the second season of the Solar Success in Africa series, you will hear more about innovative solar projects bringing clean and reliable energy to communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. In this episode, Oluwaseun Abraham, Head of Project at Havenhill Synergy, shares his vision and know-how about the state of solar in Nigeria, different strategies to service urban areas and rural communities, and how Covid-19 highlighted the potential of solar to deliver last-mile electricity connections.

GOGLA, supported by GET.invest, has launched a new limited series podcast ‘Invest in the Sun’ highlighting the performance and potential of the off-grid solar sector for investors. In the this episode titled ‘The role of DFIs in the off-grid solar market’, Maite Pina Arques, Senior Investment Officer at FMO, and Geoffrey Manley, Investment Director at CDC Group, candidly discuss their journey into energy access, their role as off-grid solar investors and the future of the sector.

On 8 and 9 December 2021, the GOGLA Global Off-Grid Solar Finance Summit brought together industry experts and stakeholders to discuss the mobilization of the off-grid solar and climate nexus as well as the main developments within the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy and COP 26.

This GET.invest Finance Catalyst discussion paper assesses five renewable energy market segments in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to describing the current status and outlook, it examines the potential impacts, challenges and solutions of IPPs, mini-grids, C&I, SHS as well as off-grid solar energy, and clean cooking. The findings and opinions presented in this paper – enriched by case studies – are based primarily on the experience of the Finance Catalyst and are the result of the collective efforts of 25+ advisors and staff through five years of supporting developers and projects on the ground. As such, it does not claim to be an academic study of the renewable energy market, but aims to share knowledge from decades of collective experience in the sector and to stimulate further discussion.

SolarPower Europe’s annual Global Market Outlook for Solar Power provides market analysis for the global solar power sector. The 2020 version shines a spotlight on the sub-Saharan Africa region, including case studies and support instruments and initiatives for solar project development.

The key takeaways from the GOGLA Deals Database with updated investment data until August 2020.

With the objective of sharing evidence and lessons learnt on the ability of decentralised renewables to fast-track delivery of sustainable and reliable power for rural health facilities in emerging countries, the publication collects 16 relevant case studies with best practices, as well as core recommendations for international funding partners, philantropies and governments.

The GOGLA deal database captures the investment trends over the period 2012-2020.

The podcast “Shine On: Solar Success in Africa” explores a range of inspiring solar projects from across Africa, with entrepreneurs and innovators who have extensive experience with the African solar sector. In this episode, GET.invest’s Team Leader Michael Franz explains how working in emerging markets shapes the way he and his team support companies operating in Africa, to the benefit of local populations.

The report showcases 17 case studies from members of the Alliance for Rural Electrification, demonstrating how gender equality can be consolidated at each level of the DRE supply chain. Additionally, the report features core recommendations for DRE companies, CSOs, private investors and international funding partners.

The GET.invest Covid-19 Business Continuity Checklist, developed by the programme’s Finance Catalyst facility, provides guidance on how to keep companies on track and navigate the crisis.

The Covid-19 Scenario Modelling tool helps with forecasting cash flow. It allows to explore different alternatives in order to accommodate different possible futures, for managing cash flows and for addressing shortfalls via scenario modelling. The tool looks at a 12-month horizon and provides for a base case and two additional scenarios that impact revenue and other cash inflows; it facilitates the development of an action plan that addresses controllable expenses; and it generates the resulting net cash flow.

The presentation provides an introduction to financial modelling in general and the service provided by the GET.invest Finance Catalyst.

The database shows Covid-19 related business advisory and financial support options offered by associations, impacts funds, international associations and programmes across the sector.

The podcast “Shine On: Solar Success in Africa” explores a range of inspiring solar projects from across Africa, with entrepreneurs and innovators who have extensive experience with the African solar sector. In this episode, Arnoud de Vroomen, CEO and Co-Founder of SolarWorks!, discusses financing, regulatory challenges, and the importance of promoting gender equality in his company.

The podcast “Shine On: Solar Success in Africa” explores a range of inspiring solar projects from across Africa, with entrepreneurs and innovators who have extensive experience with the African solar sector. In this episode, Rupesh Hindocha, Founder and Group CEO of Premier Solar Group, demystifies the experience of working in solar in Africa, talks in detail about the largest rooftop project in the history of Kenya, and offers a vision for the future of the African solar sector.

The podcast “Shine On: Solar Success in Africa” explores a range of inspiring solar projects from across Africa, with entrepreneurs and innovators who have extensive experience with the African solar sector. In this episode, Marianne Walpert, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Simusolar, discusses the opportunities and regulatory framework of Tanzania, financing, and the importance of a pay-as-you-go business model.

The podcast “Shine On: Solar Success in Africa” explores a range of inspiring solar projects from across Africa, with entrepreneurs and innovators who have extensive experience with the African solar sector. In this episode, Matthew Orosz, Founder and CEO of OnePower Africa, discusses the regulatory and financing framework in Lesotho, vertical integration strategy, and the recent vast changes to the African solar sector.

At the Energy Access Covid-19 Relief Summit, more than 1,000 energy access representatives assessed the pandemic’s impact on businesses and consumers, stressing the sector’s role in (re)building sustainable, resilient communities and economies.

This webinar presents GET.invest’s Finance Catalyst with a special focus on on-grid small IPPs (up to 50 MW) and C&I solar projects.

SolarPower Europe and GET.invest have joined forces to realise broad and sustained market development of renewable energies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific region. As part of this partnership, SolarPower Europe organised a webinar on mobilising renewable energy investment in the African, Caribbean and Pacific region.

This webinar set out to discuss the implications of Covid-19 on the African solar market and the challenges and solutions for European companies ready to invest. Industry association representatives from South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria and Kenya shared their views on the impact and effects of the virus outbreak and its likely aftermath.

This webinar presented the potential of Agri-PV for African markets and lessons learnt from other regions which have successfully implemented this innovative solution.

The event explored the role of end-user subsidies in the ‘toolkit’ of pro-poor solutions as we work to accelerate energy access. The event featured interactive discussions on end-user subsidies for stand-alone solar technologies in four specific country scenarios.

From 24-26 November 2020, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) hosted the fourth edition of the annual ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF).

Organised by ARE and supported by GET.invest, this webinar focused on how funding for projects to electrify rural health facilities can be structured and fast-tracked moving forward.

This 90-minute webinar presented and discussed existing GET.invest support instruments with representatives of the decentralised renewable energy sector to collect feedback and suggestions for improvements.

The event focused on discussing the challenges energy players in Mozambique are facing due to the pandemic and explored potential pathways for a responsible private sector response within government measures.

AMER hosted the second part of its webinar series “Private Sector Perspectives on Renewable Energy in Mozambique”. The webinar focused on the current developments and further prospects for renewable energy applications in the commercial and industrial sectors in Mozambique – showcasing stakeholder experiences, funding opportunities, regulatory progress and international cooperation for the country’s renewable energy sector.

As part of the “Accelerating Investments in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency & Smart Mobility in the Pacific Islands” Webinar Series, this webinar discussed the status and remaining barriers for private investment in renewable energy in the Pacific Island Countries.

As part of the “Accelerating Investments in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency & Smart Mobility in the Pacific Islands” Webinar Series, this webinar delved into energy efficiency, with a special focus on ESCOs and opportunities, notably in the commercial and industrial sector.

As part of the “Accelerating Investments in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency & Smart Mobility in the Pacific Islands” Webinar Series, this webinar covered smart mobility, including e-mobility and other measures.

The webinar aimed to share best practices from innovative entrepreneurs embedding gender in their business models, as well as to spur discussion on best practices to promote gender equality in the decentralised renewable energy sector.

This webinar discussed the private sector perspective, public sector support instruments, and mini-grid developments in Mozambique. The recording is in Portuguese and divided into two parts.

Divided into two sessions, the webinar delved into a range of topics, including technical requirements, legal and regulatory framework, access to finance and risks for IPPs in Mozambique. The recording is only available in Portuguese.

The webinar “Corporate PPAs in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges” explored the opportunities and barriers for corporate sourcing of renewable electricity in Africa. It brought together European and African experts to discuss how corporate Power Purchase Agreements in Africa could be supported on the regulatory, technical, and financial level.