The Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN), a clean energy financing advisory group, has announced that it has passed the $ 1 billion mark in total financing raised for clean energy projects in developing countries. The multilateral public-private partnership, currently transitioning to a new governance and hosting arrangement within the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and REEEP, has now raised total financing of $1.2 billion.

In South Africa’s energy sector, several renewable technologies are mature enough to roll out, but need the right support in the right contexts. Around the world, attempts to adopt new or improved technologies often fail because they focus on the ‘hardware’ and ignore the complex mix of interconnected social, institutional, economic and policy issues that can limit success. Academic studies reveal the main ingredients for successful technology adoption, and this briefing outlines these for policymakers and practitioners, along with some practical guidance in the context of energy access and rural development in South Africa and the CHOICES project.

Nine newly-funded REEEP projects are looking at innovative ways of using clean energy to create symbiosis between the provision of energy, food and water.