Results area 3
Access to and production of clean energy
Photo: BioLite
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Making clean energy more accessible and affordable
According to the UN, 675 million people, mainly in the least developed countries and Sub-Saharan Africa, remain without access to energy and more than 2.3 billion people rely on unsafe and polluting fuels and technologies for cooking.
In 2023, NDF continued co-creating projects and directing investments towards increasing access to and production of affordable and sustainable clean energy. Our contribution helped to facilitate close to 12 million clean energy connections, the majority of which was solar, benefitting close to 57 million women and men. Moreover, our support contributed to job creation, mobilising climate finance and increasingly empowering women in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. The support contributed to over 7.5 million tons of reduced or avoided carbon emissions.
Here we present three projects that deliver access to clean energy and support economic empowerment of climate vulnerable communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results highlight our focus on capturing longer-term development impacts, such as improved socio-economic conditions and gender equality outcomes deriving from improved access and generation of clean energy products and services. Further detailed results and projections per indicator under this results area are provided in the datasheet.
Contribution to the SDGs:
Serengeti Energy
Access to clean energy and understanding community needs
Through NDF’s investment in Serengeti Energy, we support an increase in the renewable energy supply in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project contributes with access to reliable clean energy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and it also mobilises green capital and empowers local communities.
Local communities may experience both positive and negative impacts from large-scale renewable energy projects. To better understand these impacts, Serengeti Energy, leonardo and NDF - as a shareholder – had surveys carried out to capture the voices of the affected people directly and to measure impacts. Of particular interest were the outcomes related to the use of solar lights delivered through the Corporate Social Responsibility activities, especially in critical community buildings such as schools.
The outcome was very clear: 68% of the affected respondents reported that Serengeti’s activities improved their quality of life.
“Through Serengeti Energy’s activities, my husband has a secure job, and my kids can study more with the solar lights that were provided,” said a local community member.
The data also showed that only 5% of the community has access to clean on-premise water, and revealed persisting inequalities between genders, such as differences in income, perceived safety, satisfaction with public services and well-being. This monitoring data provides important information for planning future operations.
Surveys were carried out to measure impacts and capture the voices of local communities who are directly affected by the projects, such as in the Nkhotakota solar project in Malawi. Photo: Serengeti Energy
68% of the affected respondents reported that Serengeti’s activities did improve their quality of life.
NDF CO-FINANCING
EUR 17 million
PROJECT PERIOD
2017-2025
PARTNER AGENCY
Serengeti Energy
OTHER PARTNERS
Norfund, KfW, Swedfund, STOA and Proparco
MAIN RESULTS
- 173k clean energy connections facilitated.
- 1.2 million people with improved access to clean energy - 50% women.
- 90k tons of CO2 equivalent emissions reduced or avoided.
EEP Africa
Economic empowerment through solar-powered milling
This EEP Africa project developed solar-powered milling machines, a climate-smart solution to help rural entrepreneurs in Africa to grow their business with off-grid energy.
Previously, people – mostly women – would spend hours milling grain by hand or travel great distances and pay high prices to get their grain milled. These new machines provide improved agro-processing capabilities even to the remotest communities on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Milling machines not only facilitate food processing at the local level, but also generate income, enhance labor efficiency, and keep financial resources within local communities. They have also had a positive impact on women’s economic empowerment.
“Thanks to the affordability of these milling services, I've managed to save money that I’ve used to invest in rearing chickens at home. This provides extra income and also enhances my resourcefulness and independence. I no longer rely solely on my husband for financial support. We are now able to eat well, and I have the satisfaction of contributing to my family's income,” says Caroline, a mother of four in Laikipia, Kenya.
The machines have reduced working hours and physical strain on women, enabling them to pursue new opportunities for themselves and their communities. The technology developed by AgSol is a good example of how innovative climate-smart energy solutions can contribute to food security, economic independence, and women’s empowerment.
The solar-powered milling machines have contributed to reduced working hours and physical strain on women. Photo: EEP Africa
Thanks to the affordability of these milling services, I've managed to save money. I no longer rely solely on my husband for financial support.
– Caroline, a mother of four from Kenya.
EEP AFRICA FINANCING
EUR 500,000
PROJECT PERIOD
2019-2022
PARTNER AGENCY
EEP Africa Trust Fund (with funding from Austria, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, NDF, Norway, and Switzerland)
OTHER PARTNERS
Clasp, DOEN Foundation, Efficiency for Access
MAIN RESULTS
- 90 Solar mills manufactured and distributed
- EUR 758k climate finance mobilised.
- 128 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions reduced or avoided.
The Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (OGEF)
Innovative solutions to improve access to clean energy
Over half of the people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack reliable access to energy. The Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (OGEF) helps solve this problem by providing debt financing to local companies that bring clean energy to people living off the grid.
“It’s important for these companies to be able to match assets and liabilities in local currencies, particularly when they operate in more fragile economies,” explains Alix Graham, Managing Director of Cygnum Capital, the Fund Manager of OGEF.
OGEF portfolio companies support a wide range of local entrepreneurs; from tailors powering their sewing machines and farmers using hot lamps for their chickens to businesspeople setting up local cinemas. Graham mentions several companies that have made a difference in the lives of people living in the region.
“Bboxx offers televisions, lighting, torches and radios for shop owners. SunCulture sells solar lighting kits and televisions powered by the sun and batteries for farmers. BioLite has cooking systems, home solar systems and chargers, and sells to local retail stores and even to the developed market.”
A social impact measurement company, 60_decibels, was commissioned to assess the impact of OGEF’s portfolio companies. Nearly 75% of customers surveyed say they did not previously have access to clean energy products or services. About 61% of respondents say they see a significant improvement in their quality of life. With access to energy, their ability to work or study has improved, and their autonomy increased.
A specific area highly impacted by access to clean energy is cooking, a daily activity often handled by women and girls. The study points out that cleaner fuels, like electricity and biogas, also have fewer negative health effects than dirtier fuels such as wood and basic charcoal. The survey found 67% of cookstoves sold by portfolio companies were bought by women; 65% of these women reported the stoves “very much decreased” the time they spent cooking.
OGEF portfolio companies have brought clean energy to people living off the grid. Photo: BioLite
About 61% of respondents say they see a significant improvement in their quality of life with more reliable access to energy.
NDF CO-FINANCING
EUR 6.5 million
PROJECT PERIOD
2018-2028
PARTNER AGENCY
African Development Bank (AfDB)
MAIN RESULTS
- 1.3 million clean energy connections facilitated.
- 4383 kerosene lanterns replaced.
- 1889 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions reduced or avoided.