Accesss To Capital

As well as providing support on the operations of their business, we also assist companies to access capital to start-up, to expand, or to develop or construct projects.  In the developing world, the lack of access to capital is a key barrier to the development of successful micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

We believe that while private, commercial capital is fundamentally the right solution, there remains an important role for public/donor funding to catalyse and underpin private investment due to the early stage of the market.  We help design and implement private and public/private capital solutions by providing:

Capital advisory and introductions: We provide support related to financing strategy including capital structuring, identifying sources of capital, and preparation of documentation for financing processes. We also make introductions to capital providers where appropriate.
Credit enhancement: We offer guarantees to lenders to companies we have vetted, both at micro ($500 – 20k) and commercial bank ($20k – 1m) scale. The guarantees are intended to increase the availability of lending and to decrease its cost. To date, we have helped micro-enterprises finance equipment purchases, inventory and extend end-user credit. Since the successful pilot of the micro-guarantee facility, followed by a capital increase by new donors, 135 businesses have benefitted. A similar guarantee facility with commercial banks is currently being designed as part of our CARE2 programme.
Financial institution training: We train financial institutions to improve their knowledge of energy sector lending, and thus encourage increased activity. To date, our training programmes have served approximately 50 East African financial institutions.
Grant support: We provide grants to de-risk companies or business models, or to underpin the economics of a project to encourage private capital to participate. Grant funding will nearly always be combined with other support, as well as monitoring on the use of the grant. At any time, the availability of grant funding will depend on the status and objectives of individual programmes.

A few examples include:
The ESME programme provides grant funding in Senegal, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya for energy companies including developers of small hydro projects and solar product suppliers.
The IDEAS Energy Innovation Contest provides grants of up to $200k to innovative renewable energy projects in the Caribbean.
The Kenya Climate Innovation Centre provides proof of concept grants for early-stage Kenyan businesses targeting climate mitigation or adaptation technologies.
The Spark Fund provides funding for high-potential cookstove businesses in Kenya to improve their technical, product design and manufacturing capacity and practices.
Examples of our access to finance activities include:

Facilitating impact investments from an international investor
We served as technical advisor to a Zurich-based impact investor which resulted investments in three GVEP clients. Fenix International, SolarNow and SunnyMoney (2013 International Ashden Award winner) all benefited from term loans funded by AlphaMundi Group’s Social Alpha-Bastion fund.
Fenix International produces power generation and smart energy storage solutions. Its flagship product, the Readyset is an intelligent plug-and-play energy system that powers lights, radios, mobile phones, as well as other appliances. The loan was a bridge financing to the Company’s Series B equity offering. Solar Now is a Netherlands-based company selling and distributing solar home systems through a hire-purchase facility in Uganda. The loan will be used to finance the rapid growth of the hire purchase portfolio. SolarNow envisions opening branches in other East African markets in 2013 and beyond. SunnyMoney is the for-profit trading subsidiary of SolarAid, a UK-based charity focused on distribution of solar lighting for use in off-grid households. SunnyMoney is a product agnostic distributor selling d.light design, Barefoot Power, and Greenlight Planet products through schools promotions. The loan from AlphaMundi was in part facilitated by security the Company provided through a pledge of inventory as collateral.
Facilitating access to finance for a micro-enterprise
Janet Adeyo, a businesswoman and mother of four from Nyahera on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, is a role model to many women in the region. Janet has become well known in Kisumu for producing high quality improved cookstoves. “It was not until I met GVEP staff who trained and mentored me on business development that I came to realize the potential for my business to grow,” explained Janet. Equipped with a well-crafted marketing plan (developed with assistance from a GVEP business mentor) she secured a loan of $1,500 from Ecobank to scale up production of cookstove liners and expand into constructing fully assembled stoves. She has also been able to employ four new permanent staff. “Since I obtained the loan in March 2013, I have been able to produce 120 assembled cookstoves, as well as 1,400 liners, each month," she explains. "I look forward to doubling my sales to $3,000 per month by June 2014”.
Facilitating grant funding for household lighting companies in Kenya
With funding in the ESME Programme we are supporting distributors of off-grid lighting products in Kenya. The grants are intended to help scale up activities of distributors and increase sales to consumers who need the products most – the poorest socio-economic group living off-grid.


Financing R&D efforts of a pay-as-you-go biogas company in Kenya
Only 11% of rural Kenyan households have access to electricity, and most families still rely on traditional fuels, such as charcoal, firewood and kerosene. To address this challenge, Takamoto is developing a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) biogas system that brings affordable biogas to low income, rural households by combining mobile payments with reliable pre-fabricated biogas units.
Takamoto has been awarded a proof of concept grant by the Climate Innovation Centre Kenya to test the technical and financial viability of PAYG biogas. The grant will be used to fund a 50-unit pilot in Githunguri, Kenya and allow the collection of information to allow the company to refine its business model before rolling out more widely.

 http://www.gvepinternational.org/en/business/access-capital?gclid=CKaBs-z2xsACFRWTjgodiEkA0w

India to build world's largest solar plant

Facility will triple the country's solar capacity and dwarf existing photovoltaic arrays.

 

Amit Dave / Reuters

Photovoltaic arrays such as this one in Gujarat still produce only a small fraction of India's energy, but a new plant, to be built in Rajastan, aims to change that.

India has pledged to build the world’s most powerful solar plant. With a nominal capacity of 4,000 megawatts, comparable to that of four full-size nuclear reactors, the ‘ultra mega' project will be more than ten times larger than any other solar project built so far, and it will spread over 77 square kilometres of land — greater than the island of Manhattan.

Six state-owned companies have formed a joint venture to execute the project, which they say can be completed in seven years at a projected cost of US$4.4 billion. The proposed location is near Sambhar Salt Lake in the northern state of Rajasthan.
The solar photovoltaic power plant will have an estimated life of 25 years and is expected to supply 6.4 billion kilowatt-hours per year, according to official figures. It could help to reduce India's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4 million tonnes per year, estimates Parimita Mohanty, a fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi.
India currently has a grid-connected solar-power capacity of 2,208 MW — up from a mere 17.8 MW in 2010, when the central government launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The JNNSM aims for India to reach an installed capacity of 20,000 MW (or 20 gigawatts) of solar power by 2022 (see 'India embarks on solar drive').

NASA

Lake Sambhar, where salt has been harvested for centuries, is the designated site of the new power plant.

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“If things go according to plan, we might well surpass that figure,” says Tarun Kapoor, chief of the JNNSM and joint secretary in India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Green ambition

The production cost of solar power in India has fallen by more than half in recent years, from 17 rupees ($0.27) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) three years ago to 7.50 rupees per kWh currently, according to Kapoor, and it could plummet further. But these costs are still high compared to coal (2.50 rupees per kWh), nuclear (3 rupees per kWh) or natural gas (5.5 rupees per kWh), says Mohanty.
India is mapping its potential for solar-energy production across the entire country on the basis of satellite imagery, in collaboration with the United States. It has also set up 51 dedicated measurement stations to assess the availability of solar radiation, adding to data collected by 45 meteorological observatories.

But the ostensibly green mega-project has been criticized by environmentalists. “We don’t think this should be the way to go ahead,” says Chandra Bhushan, deputy director-general of the think tank Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi. “Feeding 4,000 MW into an already leaking grid where 20% of electricity gets wasted in transmission and distribution losses and [most] ends up feeding the urban centres makes little sense,” he says, adding that less than 50% of Indians living in villages have access to electricity.
Bhushan says that a decentralized solar approach, with multiple smaller projects spread over rural areas, would have a far greater reach, a larger social benefit and bigger human-development impact than a gargantuan plant feeding the grid. India's population is comparable to China's but its electricity consumption is only about one-quarter of China's, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Rajendra Pachauri, director-general of TERI and chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says that the JNNSM should keep pushing on both the large-scale and decentralized approaches. “India must see itself emerge as the worldwide leader in harnessing solar energy involving technologies for centralized power generation, as well as millions of small, decentralized applications.”

How to Build a Solar Panel

Do you want to get clean, renewable energy for free? Cut down on your monthly power bill? Try making your own solar panels! These cost a fraction of commercial panels and work great! Get started with Step 1 below to make your own.

Part 1 of 6: Assembling the Pieces

1. 
   1
   Purchase the cells. There are a few different types of solar cells to buy, but the best cost-to-efficiency option will be polycrystalline cells. Buy however many you need for how much energy/wattage you’re looking to produce. The specs should be listed when you purchase the cells.
   • Make sure to buy extras. These cells are extremely fragile.
     
   • Cells will be most easily bought online, but you may be able to purchase some from your local hardware store.
     
   • It may be necessary to clean wax off of the cells, if their manufacturer ships them in wax. To do this, dip them in hot, but not boiling, water.
     
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2. 
   2
   Measure and cut a board. You will need a thin board made out of a non-conductive material to attach the cells to. Lay out the cells in the arrangement you will use, then measure the dimensions and cut a board to that size.
   • Leave an extra inch or two at both ends of the board. This space will be used for the wires that connect the rows together.
     
3. 
   3
   Measure and cut all of your tabbing wire. When you look at your polycrystalline cells, you’ll see a large number of small lines going in one direction (the long distance) and two larger lines going in the other direction (the short distance). You will need to connect tabbing wire to run down the two larger lines and connect to the back of the next cell in the array. Measure the length of that larger line, double the length, and then cut two pieces for each cell.
4. 4
   Use the flux pen on each of the three squares (or strip) of each line (usually 2 or 3 lines) on the back of the cell.
5. 5
   Melt a thin coat of solder on the squares/strips of the back of cells. (Note: this step is not necessary if you purchase pre-soldered tabbing which is better since it cuts time in half, heats up the cells only once and wastes less solder)
6. 
   6
   Heat the first half of a tabbing wire on top of the soldered squares/strip to bond it to the cell. Repeat for other strips.

Part 2 of 6: Connecting the Cells

1. 
   1
   Glue the cells to the board. Put a small amount of glue at the back-center of the cells and then press them into place on the board. The tabbing wire should run in a single, straight line through each row. Make sure the ends of the tabbing wire are coming up between the cells and are free to move, with just the two pieces sticking up between each cell. Keep in mind that one row will have to run in the direction opposite to the one next to it, so that the tabbing wire sticks out at the end of one row and on the opposite side of the next.
   • You should plan to put the cells in long rows, with a fewer number of rows. For example, three rows each consisting of 12 cells placed long side-to-long side.
     
   • Remember to leave an extra inch at both ends of the board.
     
2. 
   2
   Solder the cells together. Apply flux to the length of the two thick lines (contact pads) on each cell, then take the free sections of tabbing wire and solder them to the entire length of the pads. Note: The tabbing wire connected to the back of one cell should connect to the front of the next cell in every case.
3. 
   3
   Connect the first row using bus wire. At the beginning of the first row, solder tabbing wire to the front of the first cell. The tabbing wire should be about an inch longer than needed to cover the lines, and extend towards the extra gap on the board. Now, solder those two wires together with a piece of bus wire, the same size as the distance between the thick lines of the cell.
4. 
   4
   Connect the second row. Connect the end of the first row to the beginning of the second with a long piece of bus wire which extends between the two far thick wires (the one at the edge of the panel and the second being the furthest away in the next row). You will need to prepare the first cell of the second row with extra tabbing wire, as you did with the first.
   • Connect all four wires to this bus wire.
     
5. 
   5
   Continue connecting the rows. Continue connecting the rows with the long bus wires until you reach the end, where you will connect it with a short bus wire again.

Part 3 of 6: Building Your Panel Box

1. 
   1
   Measure your cell panel. Measure the space taken up by the panel on which you have placed your cells. You will need the box to be at least this big. Add 1” to every side, to allow space for the sides of the box. If there will not be a free 1x1” square spot at each corner after adding the panel, also leave room for this.
   • Make sure that there is enough space for the bus wires at the end as well.
     
2. 
   2
   Cut the flat back. Cut a piece of plywood to the size you measured in the previous step, plus the space for the box sides. You can use a table saw or jig saw, depending on what you have available.
3. 
   3
   Form the sides. Measure two 1x2s to the length of the long sides of the base of the box. Then, measure two more 1x2s to fit between these long pieces, completing the box. Cut these pieces you have measures and secure them together using deck screws and butt joints.
4. 
   4
   Attach the sides. Using deck screws, screw through the top of the sides and into the base to secure the sides to the bottom of the box. The number of screws you use per side with depend on the length of the sides, but three screws per side is a good minimum.
5. 
   5
   Paint the box. Paint the box whatever color you prefer. Consider using white or reflective colors since this will keep the box cooler and cells perform better when they are cool. Use paint designed for outdoor use. This paint will help protect the wood from the elements and make your panel last longer.
6. 
   6
   Attach the solar panel. Glue the panel with the cells which you constructed into the box. Make sure that it is secure and that the cells are facing up and can get sunlight.

Part 4 of 6: Wiring Your Panel

1. 
   1
   Connect the final bus wire to a diode. Get a diode a little bigger than the amperage of your panel and connect it to the bus wire, securing it with some silicone. The light colored end(aka white-striped end) of the diode should be pointing towards where the negative end of the battery(or device) goes. The other end should be wired to the negative end of your panel. This prevents energy from travelling back through the solar panel from the battery when not charging.
2. 
   2
   Connect the wires. Connect a black wire to the diode and run it to a terminal block which you will need to mount on the side of the box. Then connect a white wire from the short bus wire on the opposite side to the terminal block.
3. 
   3
   Connect your panel to a charge controller. Purchase a charge controller and connect the panel to the controller, making sure to connect the positive and negative correctly. Run the wires from the terminal block to the charge controller, using color coded wire to keep track of the charges.
   • If using more than one panel, you might want to connect all of the positive and negative wires together using rings, to make sure you end up with two wires.
4. 
   4
   Connect the charge controller to your batteries. Buy batteries which will work with the size of the panels you built. Connect the charge controller to the batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
5. 
   5
   Use the batteries. Once you have the batteries connected and charged from the panel or panels, you can run your electronics off of the batteries depending on the amount of power you need for them. Enjoy your free power!

Part 5 of 6: Sealing the Box

1. 
   1
   Get a piece of plexiglass. Purchase a piece of plexiglass cut to fit inside the box that you made for your panel. You can get this from a specialty shop or from your local hardware store. Make sure you get plexiglass and not glass, as glass is prone to breaking or chipping (hail will be the bane of your existence).
2. 
   2
   Attach block stops for the glass. Cut 1x1” blocks of wood to fit in the corners. These should be however high is necessary to fit above the terminal block but below the lip of the box to a depth a little more than the thickness of your plexiglass. Glue these stops into place using wood glue or something similar.
3. 
   3
   Insert your plexiglass. Fit the plexiglass onto the box so that glass rests on the blocks. Using appropriate screws and a drill, carefully screw the plexiglass into the blocks.
4. 
   4
   Seal the box. Use a silicone sealant to seal the edges of the box. Also seal any gaps you can find. The box needs to be as watertight as possible. Use the manufacturer’s instructions to properly apply the sealant.

Part 6 of 6: Mounting Your Panels

• Mount on a cart. One option would be to build and mount your panels on a cart. This would place the panel at an angle but allow you to change which direction the panel faces in order to increase the amount of sun it gets in a day. This will, however, require you to adjust the panel 2-3 times a day.
  
  
  
• Mount on your roof. This is a normal way to mount the panels but the angle will need to be consistent with the sun’s path, and it will limit you to only getting full exposure at limited times of day. This option is best, however, if you have a large number of panels and very little ground space to place them.
  
  
  
• Mount on a satellite stand. The stands usually used to mount satellite dishes can also be used to mount solar panels. They can even be programmed to move with the sun. However, this option will only work if you have a very small number of solar panels.