SEED Library

Evidence-based insights into eco-inclusive business models and contributions to sustainable development.

SEED participates in MedaWeek Barcelona 2021

Published: 23 November 2021
On 17 November, SEED's Executive Director, Arab Hoballah, spoke at the 9th Mediterranean Green & Renewable Energy Summit as part of the Meda Week Barcelona 2021. Read more

Jane Nakasamu from Greenbelt Energy spoke at the WTO Public Forum

Published: 04 October 2021
SEED Award 2021 recipient Greenbelt Energy's Jane Nakasamu from Zambia spoke at the WTO Public Forum on how innovations can help us build back greener. Read more
SDGs:

Green Bio Energy from Uganda

Published: 09 July 2021
Green Bio Energy is a young, award-winning social enterprise, which offers low-income Ugandan families access to cost-saving, eco-friendly and safe energy solutions. Read more
SDGs:

CNN features SEED and UGEFA enterprises in Uganda

Authors: Source: CNN
CNN features SEED supported enterprises 'Village Energy and Khainza Energy' and UGEFA supported enterprise 'WEYE Clean Energy' for their innovation and activities to contribute to a sustainable future. Read more

ONergy Solar, a SEED Story from India

Published: 31 May 2021
ONergy Solar is an end-to- end solar solution expert offering design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, O&M and solar consultancy services for solar rooftop powerplant, solar irrigation pumping, solar lighting and microgrids for rural communities in India. Their solutions and services are focused towards reducing energy costs for their customers. Read more
SDGs:

Building Materials a New Market for Trash

Authors: Tonderayi Mukeredzi Source: YesMagazine
“We wanted a solution to plastic waste as well as a profitable solution that would also improve the lives of people as much as it improved our environment,” says Fadzai Munyuki, the managing director and one of four co-founders of a waste management start-up called Kudiwa Waste and Energy Solutions (KWES). Read more
SDGs:

AET Africa, a SEED Story from South Africa

Published: 03 May 2021
AET AFRICA innovates, manufactures and supplies energy efficiency products for water heating and cooling systems and also conducts research on innovating those technologies. Read more
SDGs:

Supporting MSMEs in the supply chain to reduce emissions by adopting energy efficiency measures | Climate Finance, India 2020

Published: 24 November 2020Authors: Kathrin Kirsch, Nithin Ramu
The financing solution developed by Mahindra & Mahindra aims to incentivise MSMEs in the supply chain to take up energy efficiency. It comprises a benchmarking of energy saving technology, a central repository of suppliers of energy-saving technology, template policy documents to be signed between supplier and OEMs, financing through carbon markets and adopting Techno-commercial energy efficiency technologies in Geographical cluster by OEM anchor led approach. Read more
SDGs:

UNDP Indonesia's Innovative Finance for Renewable Energy in Small Coastal Island Communities | Climate Finance, Indonesia 2020

Published: 20 October 2020Authors: Net Pornlumon Nirachatsuwan
UNDP Indonesia's Innovative Finance for Renewable Energy in Small Coastal Island Communities builds on existing efforts to allocate funds to leverage public funding and private sector investment in clean energy which creates financially viable interconnected renewable grids, specifically developing a hybrid PV-diesel power generation system in small islands. Furthermore, creating energy demand by building a local green economy. Read more
SDGs:

Nature's Nectar Limited (Zambia) wins Energy Globe Award

Authors: Energy Globe Award Source: Energy Globe Award
The 2019 SEED Africa Award Finalist is awarded National Winner of the "Energy Globe“ World Award for Sustainability. Read more
SDGs:

Green Bio Energy Ltd (Uganda) wins Energy Globe Award

Authors: Energy Globe Awards Source: Energy Globe Awards
The 2014 SEED Low Carbon Award Winner awarded National Winner of the "Energy Globe“ World Award for Sustainability. Read more
SDGs:

Climate-Smart Technology Solutions For Households: Replicator Workbook

Published: 07 July 2020
Energy production and consumption are the largest sources of global greenhouse gas emissions. Economic development will increase people’s need for access to reliable and affordable energy further. Smart energy solutions focus on making climate-smart technology available and affordable to households. These solutions have the potential to improve living conditions and strengthens the economic conditions of communities. They come from renewable sources, make use of an off-grid design, or, through their energy efficiency and conservation, avoid and reduce emissions. Innovative energy products improve accessibility to climate-smart technology and provide additional capacity-building in rural areas through technical training. Get inspired by a range of proven business models and learnings on how to set up your own enterprise to create such benefits for households in your community. Read more
SDGs:

Enterprise Financing Journey: Green Bio Energy

Published: 18 June 2020
Green Bio Energy (SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2014) produces eco-friendly briquettes, made from carbonised 100% recycled bio-material, that burn for longer and hotter than other briquettes, and provide social and environmental impacts in Kampala, Uganda. Read more
SDGs:

Enterprise Financing Journey: Khainza Energy

Published: 18 June 2020
Khainza Energy (SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2018) is committed to transform organic waste into clean, safe, and affordable cooking fuel and to provide this renewable energy solutions to Ugandans. It is an innovative circular economy business that obtains organic waste from smallholder farms and local households for processing and refinement into high-purity methane. Read more
SDGs:

Enterprise Financing Journey: Village Energy

Published: 18 June 2020
Village Energy (SEED Africa Award Winner 2015) provides lasting solar solutions to institutions and households, through providing customised systems and specialised after sales servicing and repair in Kampala, Uganda. Village Energy recruits and trains technicians to build a regional servicing, distribution and supply chain network.
. Read more
SDGs:

Adapting to business-not-as-usual during COVID-19

Published: 18 May 2020Authors: Sonya Ong
Business was looking up for Fadzai Munyuki and her team at Kudiwa Waste & Energy Solutions earlier this year. Then operations had to stop suddenly following the orders of the Zimbabwean government, who like many others, initiated a 21 day restricted movement order as a response to the corona virus. Read more

SOLFIN: Affordable Lease-to-Own Financing for Solar System | Climate Finance, Ghana 2019

Published: 27 January 2020Authors: Kathrin Kirsch, Marlena Kiefl
SOLFIN is a climate finance product that targets SMEs in the solar energy sector and supports them to provide affordable solar systems through enabling a lease-to-own financing model. Thereby, SOLFIN addresses the lack of high upfront investments for solar technologies by enabling solar technology providers to offer solar systems complemented by the necessary finance product. In this way, reasonable interest rates and longer tenors can be offered to SMEs, end-users and households. Read more
SDGs:

Equity plug for energy efficiency financing: Direct lending model for SMEs | Climate Finance, South Africa 2019

Published: 24 November 2019Authors: Maggie Sloan
This model for energy efficiency financing for SMEs “plugs the gap” with equity by generating a paradigm shift in commercial banks through market, technology and supplier engagement and systematic technical assistance. Read more
SDGs:

Off-grid renewable energy private-public partnership model: Improving market access and affordable technology financing | Policy, Malawi 2019

Published: 13 November 2019Authors: Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan, Marlena Kiefl
his private-public partnership model furthers the electrification of (rural) Malawi by engaging technology suppliers, financiers and government around eco-inclusive enterprises offering off-grid renewable energy solutions and delivering capacity building for integrated distribution networks and targeted clean energy financing solutions. Read more
SDGs:

Leveraging eco-inclusive entrepreneurship for localised development solutions | Policy Brief Malawi

Published: 21 October 2019Authors: Camilla Shearman, Christine Meyer, Maggie Sloan, Marlena Kiefl
In a global context of commitments to sustainable development and the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, Malawi has set out ambitious agendas to increase resilience to climate change and move towards a green and inclusive economy. Translating these ambitious agendas into impact at the community level requires concerted efforts in the decentralisation of policy initiatives and capacity building of local actors. SMMEs play a key role in aligning local markets to national development goals, and can have a transformational impact on the achievement of these goals. Drawing on discussions from the SEED policy dialogue and labs process in Malawi, this policy brief presents recommendations to policy makers for leveraging the potential of SMMEs to transform the agriculture, waste, and clean energy sectors in Malawi, and across Southern Africa. Read more
SDGs:

Incentivising activity in the biomass sector | Policy, South Africa 2019

Published: 21 October 2019Authors: Camilla Shearman, Julia Haack
This policy prototype looks to the biomass-to-energy value chain to pilot a mechanism that will catalyse sound decision-making in the biomass sector, leading to the implementation of sustainable invasive alien clearing, harvesting and biomass utilisation projects that connect to well-supported energy markets. In order to address the challenges that small and medium businesses in this sector currently face, the prototype involves setting up a knowledge-sharing platform to provide value chain specific information, biomass to energy case studies, and information on how to navigate regulatory frameworks, policy and fiscal incentives. Read more
SDGs:

Building healthier communities with Khainza Energy

Published: 18 September 2019Authors: Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
“Khainza” is a reference to a small person with high energy and ability. It is also Arthur Woniala, the founder's, mother’s maiden name. Khainza Energy is committed to providing clean, safe, and affordable cooking fuel solutions to Ugandans. We caught up with Arthur to hear how SEED Support has helped change his business & what Khainza is up to these days.  Read more
SDGs:

Sanedi signs contract with SolarTurtle to develop next-gen solar kiosks

Authors: Schalk Burger Source: Engineering News
The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and community empowerment solar photovoltaic (PV) product developer SolarTurtle have signed a contract to develop the next-generation SolarTurtle solar energy kiosk, called the BabyTurtle. Read more

Syndicate for Renewable Energy Infrastructure Financing | Climate Finance, Uganda 2018

Published: 09 July 2019Authors: Alina Weiss, Maggie Sloan
The syndicate for renewable energy infrastructure financing solution contracts a community of interested debt and equity lenders to finance household RE projects. It enables and leverages syndication effects to increase the number of new financial partnerships, raise debt in the RE sector and multiply returns on investments. Investors are legally bound in the syndicate, which finances RE infrastructure projects based on comprehensive project analysis, due diligence and evaluation. High ROI potential projects receive financing through insurance, blended financing or otherwise, depending on the financing service offerings of member financiers. The syndicate supports RE infrastructure projects to plan project implementation and schedules payments accordingly. Read more
SDGs:

Cool clean tech to tackle climate change

Authors: Source: Green Times
As showcased during the SEED South Africa Symposium 2019, South African entrepreneurs are taking climate change seriously: Water filters made from macadamia nut shells, a mobile solar-powered kiosk for charging phones in off-grid areas, vegetable growing systems using recycled plastic bags, and a machine that turns any type of waste into energy (gas) or diesel. Read more
SDGs: