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United Kingdom-based developer Globeleq announced on 11 January that will acquire a 74% stake in Nigeria commercial and industrial (C&I) power company CPGNL.

Mini-grid company CrossBoundary Energy Access (CBEA) has published a white paper on its model for developing mini-grids in developing countries and will release term sheets and its template project finance model on 15 February 2021. The unusual move comes as mini-grid developers focused on rural electrification continue to face challenges with profitability and attracting investment.

The UK’S Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on 11 December announced that it had signed an agreement to invest £1m ($1.3m) of equity in renewable-powered battery rental company Mobile Power. The investment was part of a £2m series A funding round.

ZIZ Energie has started civil works for a 2.5MW solar and 5MWh storage mini-grid in Mongo in central Chad. Work on the hybrid project began in October 2020 and the project is expected to come online by Q2 2021, supplying the city of 70,000 people 500km east of N’Djamena. ZIZ told African Energy it was the first company to use a new licensing regime introduced by law No 036 of August 2019.

Gridworks hopes its recently awarded concessions in DRC will demonstrate the case for larger-scale isolated grids in Africa. The company says the project offers the size and critical mass that is missing from most mini-grid models, which it hopes will create efficiencies and reduce costs, writes Dan Marks.

The United Kingdom’s Renewable Energy Performance Platform on 11 December announced that it had signed an agreement to invest £1m equity in renewable-powered battery rental company Mobile Power.

A consortium led by CDC Group’s Gridworks announced on 26 November that it had been selected as preferred bidder for the Essor Access to Electricity (A2E) Initiative in Democratic Republic of Congo. Gridworks has partnered with Eranove and AEE Power for the project.

Dutch development bank FMO has agreed a €500,000 ($598,000) convertible loan with power company ZIZ Energie to fund its operations in Chad. FMO joins investment company Energy Access Ventures (EAV) in backing ZIZ in a €2m funding round. EAV announced it was investing in the company earlier this year.

A report from off-grid solar industry association Gogla shows significant falls in sales of household solar products in H1 2020 as Covid-19 slowed ­progress. The Global Off-grid Solar Market Report for H1 2020 shows sales of solar lighting products – including lanterns, multi-light systems, and solar home systems – fell by 26% compared with H1 2019, to the lowest volumes since 2014.

Mineral resources, green technology and energy security minister Lefoko Maxwell Moagi on 4 November launched a programme allowing the owners of rooftop solar PV to sell power to the grid. The government has allocated 10MW to the scheme during its first year, with 2MW reserved for residential customers and the remainder allocated to commercial and industrial consumers.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched prequalification for a tender to develop small solar PV systems to power its operations across three countries.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa announced on 30 October that mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe has given the go-ahead for the regulator to process new licences for self-generation facilities above 1MW, even if they do not comply with the national Integrated Resource Plan.

Sweden’s Azelio on 20 October announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Morocco-based Jet Energy to develop energy storage in Morocco and elsewhere in Francophone Africa. Jet Energy will use Azelio’s energy storage systems at its solar PV plants, with a total capacity of around 45MW to be developed in phases by 2025. The first project targets 50kW in 2021, followed by 5MW in 2022, 10MW in 2023, 15MW in 2024 and 15MW in 2025.

The Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (Kosap) has released KSh500m ($4.6m) to 19 companies to support wider use of solar and clean cooking technology in off-grid areas. The financing will support the establishment of standalone solar systems and clean cooking solutions for households in 14 counties that are underserved by the national electricity grid. The disbursement, announced on 19 October, is part of the ambitious five-year Kosap project supported by the World Bank with $150m.

The World Bank Group (WBG) on 12 October released details of its $150m Electricity Sector Recovery Project in Somalia. The International Development Association grant is scheduled to be assessed by the board at the end of June 2021.