Giving Compass' Take:

• This SciDevNet post examines the rise of clean energy solutions across remote areas, specifically rural India and China, and how it intersects with economic development.

• Microfinancing is one mechanism that can bring more power off the grid. What are the opportunities for venture philanthropy in this area and which private-public partnerships would be most effective?

• Here's how clean energy tech gives women more power.

The “tremendous expansion” of businesses selling small solar systems in rural areas is one of the success stories of efforts to roll out renewable energy, according to environmental lawyer Alan Miller.

Miller has been involved in climate policy since the 1970s when concerns about the ozone layer would eventually lead to the Montreal Protocol and then the UNFCCC climate convention in 1992. He says countries in the global South need to develop their energy systems sustainably to avoid getting locked into high-emission fuel sources and undermine global climate goals.

“More and more of what’s projected as growth economically — but also in greenhouse gas emissions—is in developing countries, and particularly in China and India,” he says.

In India, Harish Hande runs a social enterprise, SELCO, which offers a door to door service and financing for families eager to move from candles and kerosene to small solar systems. Hande recognized as a pioneer in the field, does business with marginalized people who often get overlooked by the private sector and centralized government services.

Read the full article about luring power off the grid by Anita Marki at SciDevNet.