Energy Access Archives

Africa geothermal power Kenya Rift Valley baseload energy 2026

Energy & Climate

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Kenya Generates 35% of Its Power From the Earth. The Rest of Africa’s Rift Valley Has Built Almost Nothing.

UphivaBETAR
April 6, 2026

The Great Rift Valley carries volcanic heat sufficient to power the continent’s most reliable low-carbon grid. Kenya has proved the model works. The rest of Africa has done almost nothing with it.

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AfDB Mission 300 two year review electricity access Africa 2026

Energy & Climate

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AfDB Mission 300: Two Years In, $20B Committed — What Has Actually Been Connected?

UphivaBETAR
April 6, 2026

The African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative promised electricity access for 300 million Africans by 2030. Two years in and $20B committed — BETAR measures the gap between commitment and connection.

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Nigeria DARES 750M solar mini-grid World Bank deployment 2026

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Nigeria DARES: The $750M World Bank Programme Targeting 750,000 Solar Connections in 18 Months

UphivaBETAR
March 29, 2026

Nigeria’s DARES programme is the world’s largest single solar mini-grid deployment — 750,000 connections in 18 months, funded by a $750M World Bank commitment. BETAR maps the economics and the execution risk.

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Carbon Credits Are Financing Clean Cooking in East Africa — and the AfDB Just Made It Official — BETAR.africa

Energy & Climate

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7 minute read

Carbon Credits Are Financing Clean Cooking in East Africa — and the AfDB Just Made It Official

UphivaBETAR
March 22, 2026

The African Development Bank’s BEEP programme has created a carbon credit pipeline for clean cookstoves. The financing model and its scalability.

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Kenya green grid paradox — renewable electricity generation vs unaffordable tariffs

Business

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8 minute read

Kenya Has the Greenest Grid in Sub-Saharan Africa. Why Is Its Electricity Among the Most Unaffordable?

UphivaBETAR
March 21, 2026

Kenya generates 76% of its electricity from renewables at $0.06–0.08/kWh. Yet households pay $0.18–0.22/kWh. Three structural causes explain the gap — and the lesson for Africa’s climate finance community.

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Persistent Africa Climate Venture Fund M first close — backing early-stage climate founders

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Persistent’s $52M First Close: The Africa Climate VC Fund Backing Founders Nobody Else Will

UphivaBETAR
March 20, 2026

Persistent has reached a $52M first close for its $70M Africa Climate Venture Fund — backing pre-seed and seed climate founders that growth-stage VCs routinely pass on.

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Carbon finance flows enabling clean cooking electrification across Kenya, Uganda and Zambia

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Africa’s First Carbon-Financed Clean Cooking Programme: How AfDB Is Using Carbon Credits to Replace Charcoal

UphivaBETAR
March 20, 2026

The African Development Bank’s $4M SEFA grant anchors a $10M blended vehicle deploying 115,000 electric induction cookers across Kenya, Uganda and Zambia — the AfDB’s first carbon-financed clean cooking programme.

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Persistent $52M Africa Climate Venture Fund First Close 2026

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Persistent Closes $52M First for Africa’s Most Patient Climate Fund

UphivaBETAR
March 20, 2026

Persistent’s $52M first close for its Africa Climate Venture Fund backs pre-seed climate founders that growth-stage VCs routinely pass on — and reshapes who writes the smallest cheques in Africa’s climate ecosystem.

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1054

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Nigeria $750M DARES Programme: World Largest Public Solar Mini-Grid Network

UphivaBETAR
March 20, 2026

Nigeria DARES programme has 391 signed grant agreements and is commissioning 28 solar mini-grids in Q1 2026, backed by $750M in World Bank financing. Inside the performance-based model building distributed clean power for 17.5 million Nigerians.

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Nigeria DARES solar mini-grid programme — distributed clean energy for 17.5 million Nigerians

Energy & Climate Tech

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7 minute read

Nigeria DARES Programme: Inside the World’s Largest Public Solar Mini-Grid Deployment

UphivaBETAR
March 13, 2026

391 signed grant agreements. 28 mini-grids commissioning in Q1 2026. How the World Bank-backed DARES programme is building distributed clean power for 17.5 million Nigerians.

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Energy Access

Kenya Generates 35% of Its Power From the Earth. The Rest of Africa’s Rift Valley Has Built Almost Nothing.

AfDB Mission 300: Two Years In, $20B Committed — What Has Actually Been Connected?

Nigeria DARES: The $750M World Bank Programme Targeting 750,000 Solar Connections in 18 Months

Carbon Credits Are Financing Clean Cooking in East Africa — and the AfDB Just Made It Official

Kenya Has the Greenest Grid in Sub-Saharan Africa. Why Is Its Electricity Among the Most Unaffordable?

Persistent’s $52M First Close: The Africa Climate VC Fund Backing Founders Nobody Else Will

Africa’s First Carbon-Financed Clean Cooking Programme: How AfDB Is Using Carbon Credits to Replace Charcoal

Persistent Closes $52M First for Africa’s Most Patient Climate Fund

Nigeria $750M DARES Programme: World Largest Public Solar Mini-Grid Network

Nigeria DARES Programme: Inside the World’s Largest Public Solar Mini-Grid Deployment

Ethiopia Is Selling Electricity to Half of East Africa. Here Is What That Actually Means.

The IP Ownership Lesson That African Comics Learned the Hard Way

Africa’s Fashion Week Economics: Who Pays, Who Profits, Who Converts

Ghana Just Did What No West African Country Has Done: Put a Price on Charging an EV

The 1% Promise: Which African Governments Are Meeting the Kigali R&D Commitment — and What the Gap Costs the Continent

The 1% Promise: Which African Governments Are Meeting the Kigali R&D Commitment — and What the Gap Costs the Continent

Africa Offshore Wind: Zero Commissioned Capacity Despite 100GW Announced Projects

Africa Offshore Wind: Zero Commissioned Capacity Despite 100GW Announced Projects

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Ethiopia Is Selling Electricity to Half of East Africa. Here Is What That Actually Means.

The IP Ownership Lesson That African Comics Learned the Hard Way

Africa’s Fashion Week Economics: Who Pays, Who Profits, Who Converts

Ghana Just Did What No West African Country Has Done: Put a Price on Charging an EV