Krispy's Blog

Sinds begin 2013 investeren we een klein bedrag in offgrid solar projecten via Sunfunder. Tot nu toe hebben we aan 14 projecten deelgenomen, waarvan er 6 volledig zijn terugebetaald. De andere projecten lopen nog. Wat we terug ontvangen investeren we automatisch weer in nieuwe projecten. Doordat de looptijd van de leningen vaak een jaar is hebben we met onze investering van ongeveer $250 inmiddels bijna twee keer zo veel uitgeleend.

Ontwikkelingen bij Sunfunder

Halverwege het jaar heeft Sunfunder ervoor gekozen om investeerders niet meer te laten kiezen in welk project ze willen investeren. In plaats daarvan gaat geld nu naar ‘the next project’. Zodra het gewenste bedrag voor 100% is opgehaald wordt gekeken welke partner van Sunfunder een geschikt project heeft voor de investering. Dit is gedaan omdat partners financiering via Sunfunder te lang vonden duren. Het nadeel is wel dat je niet meer kunt zien waar je in investeert.

Dat wordt naar mijn mening ruimschoots goed gemaakt doordat het Sunfunder afgelopen jaar verschillende keren is gelukt om crowdfunding te gebruiken als middel voor het aantrekken van geld van grote investeerders voor soortgelijke projecten via hun Solar Empowerment Fund.

Een andere belangrijke ontwikkeling is dat Sunfunder nog steeds groeit en ook kapitaal weet aan te trekken van grote namen, zoals Khosla Impact, Schneider Electric, en Better Ventures. Meer hierover kan je lezen op hun blog.

Account Summary

Rent-to-Own a Solar Light

December 17, 2014

smallsolutions is a Uganda-based social enterprise providing renewable energy and human development solutions at the grassroots level in East Africa. Mar 2014 – Repayment 1 Jun 2014 – Repayment 2 Sep 2014 – Repayment 3 Dec 2014 – Repayment 4 Congrats, your loan has been fully repaid! We and the team at smallsolutions would like to thank everyone who supported this project to benefit local farmers in Uganda.

Solar for 450 Teachers

December 22, 2014

Global Cycle Solutions is a social enterprise working to develop and disseminate affordable, quality technology for villagers around the world. Apr 2014 – Repayment 1 Jul 2014 – Repayment 2 Sep 2014 – Repayment 3 Dec 2014 – Repayment 4 Woohoo! This project is fully repayed 🙂 This means that more teachers near Arusha, Tanzania are benefiting from the simple credit plan that Global Cycle Solutions offers when they purchase solar lights. Here are some updates from the team: “Our team is doing a great job in reaching out to people in different villages to make sure people have access to our high quality solar lights. While introducing these lights, we inform customers on the remarkable benefits of using our solar lights including cost reduction compared to using kerosene lights, ability to productively perform duties at night and keeping safe from harmful diseases caused by inhaling fumes from kerosene lamps and others. The kids are happy with the brightness of our lights before their eyes, but what if they accidentally drop the light? If this happens there is no need to worry because our lights do not break easily even when dropped on a concrete floor. These are only few advantages people get on a daily basis by using our solar lights. We thank you for your support and we look forward to expand the distribution of our solar lights throughout all the villages in Tanzania and outside.”

Lend a Hand for Rafiki

December 22, 2014

Global Cycle Solutions is a social enterprise working to develop and disseminate affordable, quality technology for villagers around the world. Jun 2014 – Repayment 1 Sep 2014 – Repayment 2 Dec 2014 – Repayment 3 Mar 2015 – Repayment 4

Energizing Kayunga With Solar

December 1, 2014

SolarNow provides affordable, high quality solar home systems to off-grid households and businesses in Uganda. Their solar home systems range 50 to 500 watts and because they’re modular they can be upgraded over time. Jun 2014 – Repayment 1 Sep 2014 – Repayment 2 Dec 2014 – Repayment 3 Mar 2015 – Repayment 4

Switch On Ntungamo

December 1, 2014

SolarNow provides affordable, high quality solar home systems to off-grid households and businesses in Uganda. Their solar home systems range 50 to 500 watts and because they’re modular they can be upgraded over time. Sep 2014 – Repayment 1 Dec 2014 – Repayment 2 Mar 2015 – Repayment 3 Jun 2015 – Repayment 4 Sep 2015 – Repayment 5 Dec 2015 – Repayment 6