**2. Clean and affordable energy**

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is the professional body of electrical, computer and electronic engineers. It is the largest professional

#### *Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Address the UN Sustainable Development Goals DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110150*

organization in the world with over 450,000 members worldwide. One of the signature programs of the IEEE Foundation (the charitable arm of IEEE) is the IEEE Smart Village program. This program supports entrepreneurs to bring technologybased solutions to development challenges in the field, particularly around bringing electricity access to the approximately 800 million people worldwide who do not have access to electricity. The program starts with initial seed funding to pilot a solution and then provides matching funds to grow and scale the program with the aim of trying to bring electricity access to a million people.

One of the recipients of the IEEE Smart Village funding who has gone on to scale his entrepreneurial venture is Paras Loomba, Managing Director of Global Himalayan Expeditions (GHE). With an initial grant to light up five remote villages in Ladakh, India, the program has grown to electrify 131 villages to date [7]. Systems are being deployed by volunteers who go on trekking expeditions in the Himalayan mountains. An outgrowth of the program has been to increase impact tourism in the region of Ladakh in India. New revenue streams that have come out from GHE's initiative, in addition to providing lighting for villages, include high quality homestays for Himalayan Mountain trekkers, astronomy tourism, and cultural events produced by the residents who live in the Himalayan communities. The business model here has expanded income revenue streams for the communities in this region. As a result of this work, not only is the UN SDG goal 7 of Affordable and Clean Energy addressed, but so are goals UN SDG goal 3 Good Health and Well-Being, UN SDG goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, and UN SDG goal 13 Climate Action. GHE has been recognized with many prestigious awards for its work including the G20 Sustainable Tourism award for the work that they have been doing to combine new forms of tourism with bringing electricity access in a sustainable and scalable way to the communities in this region.

A second business model approach is to use a hybrid model where renewable energy enterprises use revenues from installing solar electric systems in cities to subsidize installations in rural areas. An example of such a model is that of Ifeanyi Orajaka, Managing Director of the GVE group in Nigeria. The electric grid in Nigeria is relatively unreliable resulting in power shortages and blackouts even in the main cities in the country. The GVE group provides a range of services in the energy engineering space including commercial and industrial solar/generator set systems, energy efficiency/audit services for commercial customers, as well as rural electrification services ranging from individual solar home systems to village-level mini-grids [8]. An example of a 40 kW mini-grid project is shown in **Figure 2**. Installed in 2015, this project was financed by a combination of funding from the Bank of Industry (BOI) in Nigeria, the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the IEEE Smart Village program. The GVE group has continued to grow dramatically attracting foreign investment to further expand. Like GHE, the GVE group has received many prestigious awards for its work including being recognized by the London Stock Exchange as one of the fastest growing private companies in Africa in 2019 (see **Figure 3**).

Through major programs including the Sustainable Energy for All [11], an initiative launched by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon in 2011, and the emergence of green bank financing organizations that provide low interest loans for businesses deploying clean energy systems, there is growing financing support for enterprises working to address UN SDG 7. The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), a global knowledge and technical assistance program administered by the World Bank, provides analytical and advisory services to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the clean energy space. ESMAP released a technical report in

**Figure 2.** *40 kW Mini-grid deployed by GVE group in Bisanti Village, Nigeria [9].*

#### **Figure 3.**

*GVE Group being recognized by the London Stock Exchange as one of the Fastest Growing Private companies in Africa in 2019 [10].*

September 2022 titled "Mini Grids for Half a Billion People" in which they outlined how investments in renewable energy could lead to significant economic growth in LMICs [12]. An Executive Summary of this report was published in 2019 and emphasizes business models using efficient appliances and productive uses of electricity to

*Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Address the UN Sustainable Development Goals DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110150*

provide increased revenue to communities. Again, this approach not only addresses the UN SDG 7 goal of Clean and Affordable Energy but also addresses the UN SDG 8 goal of Decent Work and Economic Growth.

The concept of an energy ladder is an important concept for rural electrification projects (see **Figure 4**) [13]. On the lowest rung of the ladder is very basic access to electricity. This can simply comprise electric lights. Two major companies that have been using an entrepreneurial model to manufacture and distribute solar lights in LMIC's are d.light [14] and Green Light Planet (recently rebranded as Sun King) [15]. d.light has partnered with many large companies, including Unilever, Total, Orange as well as international non-governmental organizations (NGO's) to distribute their solar lighting products. Partnering with established large companies and using those companies' existing, extensive supply chains has allowed d.light to distribute over 100 million products in 70 countries [14]. The company has been able to raise over \$100 million of investment financing to support their growth.

Sun King offers a range of products starting with the entry level Sun King Pico Plus solar LED light (see **Figure 5**) [16]. This solar light provides five times the brightness of a kerosene lamp and sells for 1169 Kenyan Shillings (<\$10) in Kenya [17]. In comparison to the price of kerosene and the fire hazards and toxic fumes coming from being breathed in by children using kerosene lamps, solar LED lights offer a much cleaner, affordable, and healthier lighting option.

Sun King also offers upgraded products including a solar home system that includes a larger solar panel, several lights, and the capability for recharging cell phones [15]. Sun King recently expanded its Series D investment to \$330 million with additional funding of \$70 million from Leap Frog Investments [18].

A product developed through the IEEE Smart Village program is called the Sunblazer unit [19]. This is a modular system where solar panels are mounted to a

**Figure 4.** *Concept of an energy ladder [13].*

**Figure 5.** *Sun King Pico Solar LED light [16].*

towable trailer frame with batteries located in the base of the frame. This system can be towed to remote communities and set up into a scalable system to power a village (typically starting at 1 kW). **Figure 5** shows the second-generation unit. The most recent version, generation IV, ranges in power from 1800 to 3600 W [19]. The first such system was deployed in Haiti in 2013 (**Figure 6**). More recently Renewable Energy Innovators Cameroon (REIc) has deployed larger scale systems in villages to provide electricity for running enterprises (see **Figure 7**) [20]. REIc is also a qualified manufacturer of the Sunblazer units, the first in the African continent. These multikilowatt systems are being used to support small businesses such as barber shops, small workshops, refrigerators to provide cold drinks, etc. Again, this opens up new revenue streams for the small businesses in developing communities.

An important paradigm shift in recent years for providing access to electricity in LMICs is the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) financing approach. Similar to how cell phone credits are bought by families of low means in small chunks to provide access to mobile phone service, electricity access can be provided in chunks to families who cannot afford the upfront investment in a solar electric system. Several companies including M-Kopa in Kenya [21], d.light [14], and Sun King [15] offer such schemes. The client pays a down payment for a small solar electric system (typically ~100- 200 W) that the company installs in the client's home. The company then finances the balance of the system. A box that can connect and disconnect the electricity supply to the home is located between the home and the solar electric system (see **Figure 8**). The client can pay for an increment of electricity, e.g. 5 kWh through mobile payments. The company can then unlock the box to allow access to this chunk of electricity and once it is consumed, the client can again send a mobile payment to the company for purchasing another chunk of electrical energy.

M-Kopa established the PAYG model for solar financing about 10 years ago. Since then, they have provided "over \$600 million of credit that has enabled over 1 million customers to access solar lighting, energy efficient televisions and fridges, smart phones, cash loans and more" [21]. They have received several awards for their enterprise development including the Financial Times' Africa's Fastest Growing Companies in 2022 award.

*Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Address the UN Sustainable Development Goals DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110150*

**Figure 6.** *Sunblazer unit for powering remote communities [19].*

**Figure 7.** *Village solar minigrid deployed by REIc in Northwest Cameroon [20].*
