With solar PV mini-grids proving to provide financial and technical liability to countries like Uganda for rural electrification, there is still a dire need for isolated systems such as solar home systems to power households and enterprises within the communities.

The Challenge: It has also been realized that sustainable and working mini-grids exist but there are high payment default rates and low demand for energy(11).
Under this program, ENVenture targets hard-to-reach communities that have recently got access to energy mini-grids to provide affordable technologies that facilitate communities with sufficient energy for productive uses.

Solution: ENVenture empowers local businesses to drive local economic growth by deploying new/existing businesses with energy-efficient appliances via appliance financing. As a complimentary add-on, ENVenture also leverages business incubation expertise to enhance the business acumen of the entrepreneurs to subsequently enable appliance uptake that will lead to increased energy demand, innovation for new businesses, and job creation.

We are implementing this project because most of the enterprises in these communities have no access to a formal financial service provider meaning they have no credit history and their enterprises are less supported by the banks, this leaves them with costly loans whose interest rates are so prohibitive ranging between 24% to 60% per annum. ENVenture offers clean energy appliances at 10% interest product loans to enterprises and community-based organizations in these communities with a longer repayment period of up to 18 months