News about Productive Use of Energy (PUE)
- Daniel Waldron, Duda Slawek, Chris Emmott and Kristi Chon
- Article
Across Africa, renewable energy is powering more homes than ever, but it hasn’t yet powered prosperity. For smallholder farmers, productive-use technologies such as solar irrigation, cold storage and agro-processing can have a transformative impact.
- Shell Foundation
- Article
Agriculture is the engine of Kenya’s economy, accounting for 22% of GDP and employing more than 70% of the rural population. Yet, the majority of smallholder farmers rely exclusively on rain-fed agriculture and remain vulnerable to unpredictable rainfall and prolonged droughts, putting both their harvests and livelihoods at risk.
- Alelegn Wenedem Agegnehu
- Article
Water pumps and lighting systems are helping maintain the Agaw’s way of life, but women remain marginalised in decision making
- ELICO Foundation
- Article
With the sun slipping away, traders—most of them women—rushed to gather their goods, not because the day was done, but because the darkness gave them no other choice. Without lights to guide them, their stalls closed early, dreams dimmed too soon, and the promise of a better income faded with the last light of day.
- Adrino Mazenda & Hunadi Mapula Nkwana
- Article
Rural homes headed by women in South Africa have many problems getting water, sanitation and energy. Electricity from the grid, flush toilets and piped water are’t always available.
- Kumbirai Makanza
- Article
In the early days of the global energy access movement, success was often measured by the number of lightbulbs turned on or households connected to mini-grids. There was a widespread expectation that expanding access to electricity would naturally catalyse economic development.
- Moses Machel Nyakoyo
- Article
Achieving SDG 7, which aims to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy, requires more than just deploying infrastructure. It also depends on empowering consumers of renewable energy solutions—particularly those involved in Productive Uses of Energy (PUE)—to maintain and repair their systems effectively.
- World Bank
- Article
The remote village of Doda has a story to tell. Two years ago, artisans like Twalib Matata toiled with basic tools to carve a living from the region’s distinctive Tanga stone, only to have to sell it unprocessed for meager returns.
- GOGLA
- Article
Successful gender-smart approaches require moving beyond simple product modifications to developing comprehensive ecosystems that address women’s constraints while leveraging their strengths as customers, entrepreneurs, and agents of change.
- Puck van Basten
- Article
A Solar-Powered Micro-Mill is Making a Major Impact for Off-Grid Farming Communities