HLDE 2021 | Ministerial Thematic ForumsFinancing Solar at the Last Mile: Perceived Challenges, Risks and Opportunities
Bridging the energy access gap by 2030 will require strong policy frameworks and innovative business models, but also meaningful financing efforts: it is estimated that US$41 billion of annual investment will be needed to close the energy gap by 2030. The current established financing channels fail to address the financing needs of the business models of Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) companies. From a private sector investment perspective, this market represents a risky investment as it is relatively new, enterprises are mostly in the early and growth-stage, and serve untested costumers without credit histories, who live in last-mile, low-income settings.
Policy and financial de-risking instruments will be essential to foster investments in the sector, for both household and productive use of off-grid energy. This webinar, focusing on the urgent needs on Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) communities and their lost opportunities for social and economic empowerment, discussed trends in equity and debt financing for last-mile access to electricity and possible ways to accelerate the transition of finance to bring decentralized solutions to scale where it matters the most.