By Marta Maretich @maximpactdotcom
Sun energy has enjoyed favored status with governments and investors for years. Today however prices for solar products are falling and capital is harder to come by, encouraging many solar companies to change strategy and seek finance from new sources; notably from impact investors.
Maximpact has always hosted a wide variety of solar deals. Today’s deals reflect key trends in the solar sector including a new focus on deployment of existing technologies, diversifying services to support other parts of the solar supply chain and offering sustainable energy solutions for off-grid users in emerging markets.
Deal D00084: This company manufactures patented solar roofing tiles and insulating tiles for the residential market. Its solar tiles are attractive and easy to integrate with modern home design; and they can reduce the costs of residential solar by 50%-100%. The company has recently refined its products to meet the building code for the US Net Zero Energy requirements coming in by 2020. Its current focus is expanding to meet market demand set to increase five-fold over the next seven years.
Deal D000344: This company is poised to capitalize on the growing use of solar energy systems in challenging environments where snow and dust can reduce the effectiveness of solar panels and surfaces. It has perfected a technology that makes panels self-cleaning: electro-sonic waves repel sand and dust while heat elements melt snow. Integration of the technology into solar energy systems can restore energy efficiency by up to 40% in tough climates. It conserves water and saves on cleaning costs, too.
Deal D000307: This social enterprise is tackling the problem of fuel poverty by providing affordable renewable energy solutions for the UK social housing sector. Taking advantage of dipping costs in the sector, it makes a range of energy technologies available to the domestic market: solar PV, renewable heat, including biomass and ground pump technologies, and for the first time fuel cell CHP. Acting as a bridge between investors and projects, it promotes the uptake of all these technologies by identifying technical solutions and arranging financing.
Deal D000135: This company has developed a portable solar generator that eliminates the need for fossil fuel generators it even comes with a convenient handle and wheels, like a carry-on bag. Their product is powerful enough to run laptops, appliances, power tools and other vital equipment without the need for expensive infrastructure. It can provide reliable energy in a range of challenging environments and circumstances including emergency situations and power outages, making it a valuable tool for customers in emerging markets.
Deal D000011: This social enterprise has a mission to provide access to energy for low income Africans. It has developed an effective model for selling and distributing high-quality modular solar PV home systems to off-grid users in East Africa. The business works through local franchise networks and offers an end-user credit facility that makes renewable energy affordable for its clients. Having developed a model that works on the ground, it is poised to scale up, bringing its sustainable approach to other parts of Africa.
Deal D000353: A solar plant developer for Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, this company offers a full range of services to cover every stage of the plant development process: site identification, choosing technologies, organizing permits, licensing, construction contracts, construction management and arrangement of debt and equity. The business already has a portfolio of 2.2GW of projects across a number of countries using a range of solar technologies including CSP Tower and PV. It’s looking to expand to meet the growing demand for solar power across the world.
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