Africa’s largest private equity firm has led a round of financing for Off Grid Electric to fuel the microgrid provider’s expansion in the continent, with investors including an arm of General Electric (GE).
Solar finance company PEG Africa has raised US$13.5 million for household solar systems in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which is expected to reach up to 500,000 people.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has entered a new partnership with the International Solar Alliance and confirmed plans to provide €800 million in financing for small-scale renewable energy project investment across India.
ReneSola has been awarded 5MW of agricultural PV projects in Thailand, Vonovia and E.ON are to install 2.2MW of solar systems in Dresden, Redavia has opened a Ghana office.
News in Brief: CleanMax and Hitachi partner for rooftop solar in India for Japanese companies, Tyler Technologies installs a solar-plus-storage system at its Texas headquarters, Germany's Redavia expands into West Africa with solar for the country's Maritime University, more community solar is completed in Massachusetts and Surana wins a bid for 5MW of rooftop solar in Andhra Pradesh.
Djibouti, Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia and Ghana have signed a framework agreement to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), while Comoros is expected to sign and submit its ratification instrument today.
Emerging market project developer, owner and operator Access Power has announced the shortlist of winners for financing under its Access Co-Development Facility (ACF) fund, with solar forming the largest share of projects.
Ecoligo is a Berlin-based crowdfunding start-up for solar projects in Africa’s commercial and industrial (C&I) market. Even though it is a company still very much in its infancy, it is already making waves by providing competitive alternatives to traditional bank loan products and connecting German private investors to tailored off-takers.
The theme of this week's Movers & Shakers is international expansion. PAYG off-grid solar provider Azuri Technologies is strengthening its leadership team to target West Africa, while Vancouver, Canada-based Solar Alliance Energy targets US assets and expands its sales team to accommodate for this. ABB appoints new regional heads to ensure direct market contact with Europe and the AMEA region.
PEG Africa is a pioneering pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar company focused on West Africa. Co-founder and CEO Hugh Whalan stopped by PV Tech to discuss why this business model is filling gaps in Africa's off-grid solar market, and how it has potential to evolve into meeting needs of consumers beyond electricity access.
The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a grant of more than US$860,000 to Ghanaian solar company Buipe Solar, in support of a feasibility study for a 20MW PV project in the north of the country.
Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) executive director Ruka Sanusi and GCIC communications and marketing director Abdul-Nasser Alidu spoke to PV Tech about the work of the Centre, and how it is helping to bridge gaps in Ghana’s energy sector for local businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs.
In partnership with Ghana’s Climate Innovation Centre, Solar Media’s Clean Energy West Africa will host the first incubator workshop in April for start-ups.
