Submission to APPG for Africa regarding Just Energy Transitions

Approximately 75% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s rural poor have no access to electricity. Off-grid renewable energy solutions, particularly standalone household solar systems, offer the potential to address this. However, impoverished rural households present the biggest challenge to development of successful business models, and there is need to explore innovative and varied approaches for a just energy transition in which these households are not left behind. Business models must be tailored to individual country contexts. This submission proposes several innovations, including fee-paying services, solar rental systems based upon ‘try before you buy’ concepts, concessional consumer financing, end-user subsidies, and franchisee-models.