Energy 4 Impact has received a $198,000 grant from the Mott Foundation to implement a project seeking to address the complexity of designing and implementing strategies for developing microenterprises that use energy produced by small solar energy micro-grid companies operating in Tanzania.

Devergy is a social energy services company that provides low-income, off-grid communities in emerging markets with modern access to electricity. The project Productive Use of Energy Applications in Devergy Smart Solar Micro-Grids in Tanzania will enable Energy 4 Impact and Devergy to test the commercial potential and impact of incorporating productive use of energy appliances and micro-enterprise training into micro-grid business models, first in Tanzania and if successful throughout sub-Saharan Africa.  It will also enable them to demonstrate that productive use of energy strategies can be both commercially scalable, as well as transformative on a socio-economic level.

Over the next 12 months Energy 4 Impact, in collaboration with Devergy, will develop, test and validate an integrated package of operational processes, including techno-economic assessment; technology selection; business model design; procurement and testing of DC based energy efficient appliances; micro-enterprise capacity building, and ongoing monitoring tools.

During this time, innovative DC based productive appliances, such as solar mills, fridges, freezer and ice makers will be piloted in 24 micro businesses active in Mbeya area, Southern Tanzania.