19^th plenary meeting

The 19^th plenary meeting of the Household Solar Funders Group took place on Thursday the 1^st of October, 2026.

List of participants
Meeting minutes

Update from the HSFG coordinator

Wim Jonker Klunne welcomed participants to the plenary meeting and thanked them for joining from different time zones. As this was the first plenary meeting in approximately a year, the agenda was designed to allow sufficient time for presentations as well as updates from members.

Wim explained that the HSFG currently has 62 member organisations and 126 individuals on its mailing list. Membership numbers have declined slightly, primarily due to staff changes within member organisations. He is following up on bounced emails to identify replacement contacts and maintain the membership list.

The group currently has no dedicated funding. Wim continues to coordinate its activities in his spare time on a voluntary basis, which has limited the frequency of meetings.

The meeting's main topics were:

• Research on long-term energy use in off-grid solar home systems.
• Investment trends in the off-grid solar sector and preparations for the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo (GOGSFE) in Kigali.
• Updates on the World Bank's Productive Use of Energy Centre of Excellence and on the CROWD platform.
• Updates from members on their respective activities.

Wim announced that an in-person HSFG gathering was being planned alongside GOGSFE in Kigali on Tuesday, 27 October, in the afternoon. GOGLA was facilitating the meeting arrangements. Members interested in attending were asked to complete a shared spreadsheet indicating their availability. The gathering was expected to include contributions from 60 Decibels and the Real Programme Catalyst, with further details to follow.

Understanding long-term energy use in off-grid solar home systems

Professor David Howey, from the Department of Engineering at the University of Oxford, presented research conducted with colleagues using operational data from Bboxx solar home systems in Africa. The research originated from work on battery performance and degradation but also provided insights into how households use electricity over time.

Battery performance and lifetime

The research uses remotely collected data, including battery voltage, current and temperature, to estimate battery health and predict potential failures without having to remove systems from the field for laboratory testing.

The analysis has covered both lead-acid and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. Lead-acid batteries generally have shorter lifetimes, while lithium-ion batteries tend to last longer. However, some LFP systems also experience premature failures, with higher operating temperatures emerging as a possible contributing factor.

The research team is investigating whether changes to battery charging controls could extend battery life, particularly for lead-acid batteries. The underlying idea is that charging and maintaining a battery at a high state of charge may cause unnecessary degradation for households that use relatively little energy.

Initial field trials involving changes to charging voltage controls have produced encouraging indications, although the results are still preliminary.

The ability to identify batteries approaching failure could also help companies improve maintenance planning, manage spare-parts inventories and reduce operating costs.

Household electricity consumption patterns

The main focus of the presentation was a study of approximately 1,000 solar home systems using Bboxx operational data. The research applied clustering techniques to identify five distinct patterns of daily electricity use:

• Very low or virtually no use.
• Evening use, primarily associated with lighting and basic appliances.
• Night-time use, including lighting and some additional use overnight.
• Moderate use, with more substantial evening consumption.
• Higher use extending into both morning and evening periods.

The analysis showed that households can move between these different patterns from day to day. Consumption is therefore not necessarily stable or predictable at the individual household level.

One of the key findings was that electricity consumption did not steadily increase over time. Instead, average consumption initially increased during approximately the first three months, then levelled off and subsequently declined. After around three years, the overall decline was approximately 20%.

This trend remained visible even after excluding periods when households had stopped paying for their pay-as-you-go systems. The decline therefore could not be explained solely by payment-related interruptions.

The analysis also showed that the share of systems experiencing economic outages increased over time, reaching approximately 20% of systems. This reflected households increasingly choosing not to pay for their systems on certain days.

Implications and discussion

Professor Howey highlighted several possible explanations for declining electricity use. These included:

• Households initially making intensive use of a newly acquired system before settling into a more stable pattern.
• Access to grid electricity reducing reliance on the solar home system.
• Battery degradation limiting the energy available to households.
• Appliances breaking down and not being replaced.
• Households adapting their consumption to avoid running out of stored energy.

These explanations remain hypotheses and require further investigation.

The findings prompted three questions for the energy access community:

1. Are solar home systems sometimes larger than households actually need?
2. Are energy access programmes confusing the provision of electricity connections with the development of sustained electricity demand?
3. If demand does not grow naturally, what additional interventions are required for electricity access to generate meaningful development outcomes?

During the discussion, Drew Corbyn (GOGLA) suggested that households might reduce consumption because they experience periods when their batteries run out of energy. Households may then adapt their behaviour to make their available electricity last longer.

Professor Howey agreed that this was a plausible explanation and cautioned against interpreting the findings as evidence that smaller systems should be provided. He suggested that more flexible, modular systems might be worth exploring.

Chris Thompson (FCDO) noted that the findings appeared to contrast with anecdotal evidence of households upgrading their systems and acquiring additional appliances. He suggested that collaboration with 60_Decibels could help identify the reasons behind the observed trends.

Professor Howey welcomed the suggestion and emphasised the value of combining technical data analysis with consumer research.

Aaron Leopold (World Bank) added that electricity access should be viewed as an enabling infrastructure rather than a sufficient intervention in itself. If the objective is to achieve sustained electricity use, higher incomes and job creation, programmes may need to provide additional support to encourage productive and lasting use of energy.

Professor Howey confirmed that the research team intends to expand the analysis to a much larger dataset. He also offered to share the presentation slides and make the associated data available to interested participants.

The discussion highlighted the importance of looking beyond connection figures and examining actual energy use, consumer behaviour, system performance and the wider conditions needed to translate access into development outcomes.

Sector investment trends & update on GOGSFE

Drew Corbyn presented GOGLA's off-grid solar investment trends for 2025. Charlotte Heffer joined Drew for the presentation and provided an overview of World Bank Group energy access financing.

Investment trends in the off-grid solar sector

GOGLA's investment database has recorded more than USD 5 billion in investment over the past 12 years, covering equity, debt, off-balance-sheet financing, grants and subsidies.

Total investment in the off-grid solar sector remained broadly stable in 2025 at approximately USD 315 million. However, the number of transactions and companies receiving funding declined significantly:

• 91 deals in 2025, compared with 155 in 2024.
• 57 companies funded, compared with 97 in 2024.
• 25 first-time recipients of investment, compared with 52 in 2024.

The figures suggest that investment is becoming increasingly concentrated among larger companies, while start-ups and early-stage companies face more difficulty securing capital.

GOGLA classifies companies according to their historical funding raised:

• Scale-ups: more than USD 100 million.
• Start-ups: between USD 3 million and USD 100 million.
• Seed-stage companies: less than USD 3 million.

Scale-up companies: Only three companies were active in the scale-up category: Sun King, d.light and Ignite Energy Access. Together, they received nearly 63% of total sector investment in 2025. More than half of the debt raised by these companies was denominated in local currencies, reflecting the increasing role of local financial institutions in financing the sector.

Start-up companies: Start-ups secured approximately USD 87 million in 2025, representing about 28% of total investment. There were 18 active companies in this category, compared with more than 20 in previous years. Investment increased compared with 2024 but remained below levels recorded between 2020 and 2023. Equity investment increased from approximately USD 20 million in 2024 to USD 45 million in 2025. Average investment sizes also increased, although the number of deals remained relatively small.

Seed-stage companies: The seed-stage segment included 35 companies in 2025. Grant funding declined from USD 9.3 million in 2024 to USD 6.5 million in 2025. The number of companies receiving grants fell particularly sharply, from 71 to 14. This indicates a significant reduction in the breadth of early-stage grant support.

Geographical distribution and local currency financing

West Africa attracted the largest share of investment in 2025, largely driven by Nigeria, which accounted for approximately USD 114 million. East Africa had historically been the strongest region.

A significant development was the increased use of local currency financing. Approximately 47% of sector investment in 2025 was denominated in local currencies, predominantly in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar.

This is particularly relevant because many off-grid companies generate revenues in local currencies. Matching local-currency liabilities with local-currency receivables can help reduce foreign-exchange exposure.

Financing for locally owned companies

A key finding was the limited investment reaching locally owned companies.

Companies classified as locally owned received only around USD 10 million in 2025, equivalent to approximately 3% of total sector investment.

GOGLA's consultations suggested that this was not primarily due to a shortage of local companies seeking finance. Rather, structural barriers, including minimum investment ticket sizes and financing requirements, make it difficult for locally owned enterprises to access available capital.

Companies operating in productive use of energy (PUE), including food and agricultural value chains and small enterprises, attracted relatively stable investment. The segment recorded approximately USD 22 million in start-up investment and USD 6 million at seed stage. These companies received 73% of total grant funding in the sector, but continued to face difficulties accessing equity and debt.

Drew highlighted the contrast between increasingly sophisticated financing structures available to larger companies and the challenges facing smaller and locally owned businesses.

Results-based finance and subsidies

GOGLA has tracked approximately USD 1.1 billion in commitments across 92 results-based financing and subsidy programmes over the past decade.

Both the number and scale of programmes have increased, with Mission 300 contributing to the growing prominence of such mechanisms.

World Bank Group financing trends

Charlotte Heffer presented an overview of the World Bank Group's energy access portfolio.

The World Bank Group is estimated to provide approximately 80% of public financing for electricity access. Annual commitments have increased substantially over successive five-year periods, reaching approximately USD 2.5 billion per year in recent years.

In financial year 2025/26, approximately USD 974 million was committed to distributed renewable energy (DRE), representing around 38% of the total portfolio.

Charlotte noted that the World Bank increasingly groups financing under the broader DRE category rather than separating household electricity access, productive use and other distributed energy activities. This provides governments with greater flexibility in determining how to allocate financing.

The composition of the portfolio has also changed. Between the periods FY2017-21 and FY2022-26:

• Results-based financing increased from 24% to 41%.
• Credit lines declined from 48% to 25%.
• Grant financing declined.
• Equity commitments and guarantees became more prominent.

The geographical scope of the portfolio has expanded to include additional countries, such as Papua New Guinea, Benin, Sudan and Eswatini.

Charlotte also highlighted the increasing focus on sustained energy access. Funders, governments and companies are paying greater attention to the continued use and performance of energy systems rather than concentrating exclusively on the initial connection.

Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo (GOGSFE)

Drew provided an update on preparations for the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo in Kigali, co-hosted by GOGLA, ESMAP and the Government of Rwanda.

The event is a major biennial gathering for the off-grid solar sector. Its theme is "Powering Opportunity Now", with an increased emphasis on engaging policymakers and African governments.

The programme was expected to include:

• A ministerial component involving approximately eight African energy ministers.
• Three main conference days, preceded by side events.
• More than 60 conference sessions and an exhibition with over 60 companies and organisations.
• Sessions covering Mission 300, energy access policies, financing, results-based financing, productive use of energy, local currency finance and early-stage enterprise development.
• Networking and matchmaking opportunities for companies and investors.

A particular focus was placed on investor engagement. GOGLA was organising a "Meet the Investors" session, aiming to bring together approximately 20 to 25 investors, as well as curated investor-company roundtables. A virtual pitch book containing more than 40 companies was already available, with the aim of reaching approximately 80 companies before the event.

Drew encouraged interested investors to register and participate in these matchmaking activities.

Wim reiterated the invitation to the HSFG's in-person meeting on Tuesday afternoon, 27 October, during GOGSFE. Members were asked to complete the shared spreadsheet to indicate their attendance and availability.

PUE Centre of Excellence

Aaron Leopold introduced the Mission 300 Productive Use of Energy Centre of Excellence, developed in collaboration with the World Bank and other partners.

The Centre was established in response to the growing recognition that productive use of energy is important for jobs, livelihoods and economic development, but remains insufficiently understood and inconsistently measured across the energy access sector.

Aaron defined productive use of energy broadly as the use of energy to earn or save money. The Centre maintains a particular focus on livelihoods and job creation.

He noted that energy access programmes have traditionally focused on connections and infrastructure delivery. However, achieving a connection does not automatically result in productive use, higher incomes or lasting demand.

For example, selling a refrigerator or irrigation system does not in itself guarantee a productive outcome. The benefits depend on how the equipment is used, the economic activity it supports and the conditions in which it operates.

Objectives and approach

The Centre aims to bring together governments, companies, investors, donors and technical experts to develop a more consistent understanding of productive use of energy.

Among the challenges it seeks to address are:

• The lack of a common definition of productive use of energy.
• The absence of standardised frameworks for measuring levels of productive energy access.
• Difficulties in measuring the contribution of energy access to employment and livelihoods.
• Uncertainty about the investment case for productive use of energy from the perspectives of governments, development partners and private investors.
• The need to move beyond equipment sales and connections towards meaningful economic outcomes.

The Centre was launched in May 2026 and was becoming operational at the time of the meeting. Aaron invited interested HSFG members to engage with the initiative and contribute to shaping its activities.

Four pillars of work

Aaron outlined four main areas of activity.

1. Delivery engine

The Centre works with World Bank task teams and governments to integrate productive use of energy into large-scale energy access programmes.

Examples include:

• An independent productive use of energy adviser already working with the Government of Zambia.
• Plans to establish a similar advisory role in Kenya.
• Support to the Government of Kenya, in collaboration with COMESA, in developing what was described as the continent's first national strategy on productive use of energy.

The Kenyan process involves an intergovernmental committee representing seven ministries and has engaged more than 100 stakeholders.

The Centre is also working with COMESA on an eight-country market study to identify investment opportunities in productive use of energy and provide investors with a better understanding of the market.

2. Innovation and strategy

This pillar focuses on improving the evidence base and understanding of the productive use of energy sector.

Planned knowledge products include a market trends report and an AI-powered investment and sector platform intended to make information more accessible and help clarify investment opportunities.

3. Coordination

The Centre aims to improve collaboration among organisations working on productive use of energy, including donors, investors, governments, companies and existing technical assistance providers.

The objective is to reduce fragmentation and build on existing knowledge and experience rather than duplicate ongoing initiatives.

4. Enterprise scale-up

This pillar was still under development at the time of the meeting.

The Centre intends to explore how it can support companies through partnerships and other forms of assistance, drawing on the experience of organisations such as EEP Africa, Shell Foundation and other existing enterprise-support programmes.

Discussion and relevance for HSFG

Aaron noted that jobs and income are important indicators for many energy access programmes, but the investment directed specifically towards productive use of energy remains relatively small compared with the wider energy access sector.

He welcomed collaboration with HSFG members, particularly those with experience in enterprise development, financing and technical assistance.

The Centre was also preparing to contribute to several GOGSFE sessions, including discussions on productive use of energy and the role of the wider energy access community.

The presentation reinforced the importance of measuring not only connections and equipment deployed, but also the economic and social outcomes achieved through their use.

CROWD working group

Jakub Vrba presented an update on CROWD, explaining that the initiative had evolved from a working group into a broader platform for collaboration among organisations providing grants and technical assistance to early-stage energy access companies.

CROWD is co-chaired by Energy Saving Trust (EST) and EEP Africa and hosted by Efficiency for Access, with funding from the UK government's Transforming Energy Access platform and the IKEA Foundation.

Rationale and challenges

Jakub explained that many early-stage companies receive support from several grant and technical assistance programmes. However, this support is often fragmented and poorly coordinated.

As a result, companies can become caught in repeated grant application and reporting cycles, leaving less time and capacity for building sustainable businesses and attracting commercial investment.

Research conducted with Open Capital, including the "Scaling Potential" study and complementary work on EEP Africa's portfolio, highlighted the difficulties companies face in securing follow-on investment.

According to the research presented:

• Only approximately 20% of productive use companies managed to secure commercial follow-on investment.
• Two companies, SunCulture and EcoZen, attracted more than 90% of the commercial investment recorded for the productive use companies covered by the relevant database.
• Locally owned companies remained significantly underrepresented in start-up and scale-up investment.
• Women-led companies were also underrepresented among supported enterprises.

These findings helped motivate the establishment of CROWD and its focus on improving the coordination of grant and technical assistance support.

Main areas of activity

CROWD's work is organised around three main task areas.

1. Shared company database

CROWD members share information twice a year on the companies they have supported, including their location, funding received and the types of activities supported.

The database contained more than 1,500 entries at the time of the meeting.

Access is currently available to participating CROWD members who contribute data. The platform is exploring the development of a more user-friendly interface that could also be useful to external stakeholders, including donors, governments and investors.

The intention is to make the database more useful for pipeline development and to improve visibility of companies receiving support.

2. Harmonisation of tools and processes

The second area focuses on aligning due diligence requirements and reporting processes among grant and technical assistance providers.

Different requirements currently impose substantial administrative burdens on companies, while also increasing transaction costs for investors considering follow-on investment.

Open Capital was conducting research into these issues, with findings expected to inform further work on harmonisation.

The objective is to simplify reporting for companies and improve the consistency and usability of information for potential investors.

3. High-impact events and coordination

CROWD also organises events to encourage collaboration and facilitate connections between companies, funders and technical assistance providers.

At GOGSFE, CROWD plans a substantial presence, including a shared exhibition area with Energy Saving Trust and EEP Africa.

Two workshops are planned:

• A workshop on due diligence and process harmonisation, co-hosted with EEP Africa, featuring findings from Open Capital's research.
• A workshop on the CROWD database, co-hosted with the Global Energy Alliance and GOGLA, to discuss future data needs and potential uses of the database.

The second workshop was intended to involve stakeholders beyond the existing CROWD membership, including investors, donors and government representatives.

CROWD was also organising a networking reception towards the end of GOGSFE. In addition, it was providing sponsorship for a small number of locally led companies from member portfolios to attend the event, with a particular interest in improving the representation of women-led and locally led businesses.

The update was closely linked to the investment trends presented earlier in the meeting. Both presentations highlighted the difficulties faced by smaller and locally owned companies in accessing investment and the importance of improving the coordination of support programmes.

CROWD's approach is to place the company journey at the centre of its activities, with the aim of helping enterprises progress from early-stage grant support towards commercial sustainability and follow-on investment.

Member updates

Christine Eibs Singer provided an update on Venture Builder, an initiative launched in 2018 to support African entrepreneurs through a combination of enterprise development services and early-stage equity. She announced that Venture Builder was winding down and expected to close at the end of 2026.
The initiative had sought to combine business development support with access to capital and longer-term partnerships to help local companies grow.

Christine noted that the model had attracted considerable interest and support within the energy access community. However, the organisation itself had struggled to attract the capital required to expand and sustain its operations.

She linked the experience of Venture Builder to the broader challenges facing locally owned companies, as highlighted in GOGLA's investment data and Jakub's presentation on CROWD.

In her view, the closure raised important questions about the fragmentation of enterprise support in the sector, the relationship between technical assistance and financing, and the availability of suitable capital for local enterprises.

Venture Builder was preparing a reflective learning report, intended to be available around the time of GOGSFE in Kigali. Christine indicated that the report would provide an open assessment of the experience and the lessons that could be drawn from the model.

The update generated expressions of regret from participants, alongside appreciation for Christine's willingness to share the experience and the lessons learned.

Claudia Schwartz provided an update on a new Mission 300 developer support platform being developed by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The platform is intended to support developers working in mini-grids, solar home systems and productive use of energy.

The design was informed by consultations with a range of organisations, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, EEP Africa and other sector stakeholders.

The platform is expected to provide a combination of direct financial support and in-kind technical assistance. Potential instruments include grants, recoverable grants and, in selected cases, equity.

A particular focus will be on locally owned and early-stage companies, reflecting the financing gaps identified during the consultations and discussed earlier in the HSFG meeting.

The platform was already actively building its pipeline, with referrals expected to play an important role. Claudia emphasised the importance of coordination with existing initiatives, including CROWD, to avoid duplication and improve the identification of companies requiring support.

Indicative ticket sizes were expected to range from USD 300,000 to USD 500,000.

The programme was expected to be officially launched at GOGSFE. There would be no fixed application deadline, as support would be considered on a rolling basis.

Claudia invited HSFG members to identify companies in their respective pipelines that might benefit from the platform, particularly those with specific financing or technical assistance gaps.

She indicated that GEAPP colleagues would be available in Kigali for further discussions and bilateral meetings.

Jussi Viding provided an update on EEP Africa's recent activities and upcoming funding opportunities.

EEP Africa had concluded its latest investment committee meeting the previous week, with 16 projects approved for grant funding.

The next funding call was expected to open in mid-February 2027, continuing the programme's emerging annual cycle. EEP Africa planned to promote the call at GOGSFE.

Jussi reported that EEP Africa's portfolio had increasingly shifted towards locally owned companies rather than international enterprises. The programme was therefore generating a relatively strong pipeline of local companies, although connecting these companies to subsequent financing remained an ongoing challenge.

Productive use of renewable energy was currently one of the largest thematic areas in the portfolio, accounting for an estimated 25-30% of new companies.

Other growing areas included e-mobility and clean cooking, particularly solutions based on electric pressure cookers, including institutional applications.

By contrast, household electricity access had become less prominent among recent early-stage funding applications, reflecting broader changes in the innovation and funding landscape.

Jussi highlighted a recent experience in Zimbabwe, where EEP Africa had undertaken more targeted outreach to local enterprises.

In addition to the usual promotional activities in the capital, the programme had organised outreach events in two provincial cities.

The approach resulted in a record number of applications from Zimbabwe compared with previous funding rounds. Six Zimbabwean companies progressed to the investment committee stage, compared with a previous maximum of three.

Jussi noted that the quality of applications had also improved.

The experience prompted EEP Africa to consider how it could better reach companies outside capital cities and use local networks and communication channels to publicise future funding opportunities.

He welcomed opportunities to exchange experiences and collaborate with other funding programmes to coordinate outreach and make funding opportunities more accessible to local companies.

James Smith contributed a related example from Tanzania, where the Pure Growth Fund had organised promotional workshops in several cities and made use of local media. He confirmed that these activities had helped attract applications from companies located outside the capital.

Jussi indicated that he would be available during GOGSFE, particularly around the EEP Africa and CROWD exhibition areas, for further discussions.

Closure

In closing, Christine thanked Wim for continuing to coordinate and support the HSFG on a voluntary basis despite the lack of dedicated funding.

Wim thanked all participants for their contributions and confirmed that the presentations would be made available through the HSFG website to members with access credentials. He also indicated that further information about the in-person HSFG meeting in Kigali would be shared as arrangements progressed.

The meeting was then formally closed.