TFE blends energy access expertise and digital technology to catalyse community-centred development.
Our Work...
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Techno-economic analysis of battery energy storage for reducing fossil fuel use
This study, commissioned by the Faraday Institution, explores how battery storage technologies can be viable and competitive in sub-Saharan Africa. In partnership with DNV GL, we explored the potential of battery systems replacing fossil fuel generator use. TFE performed value chain analyses of batteries and generators used in mini-grids and small-scale behind-the-meter power generation. The report also covers a comprehensive techno-economic model and an analysis of batteries and generators at utility scale.
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The Rural Futures Fund
Not all mini-grid connections are equal. A small householder using a minigrid connection to replace dirty and dangerous kerosene will generate a tiny fraction of the revenue of a commercial maize mill operator for example. The latter represents a commercial investment opportunity, the former a socially responsible intervention.
Till now, these very different customers have been lumped together, damaging the financial case for private sector investors and muddying the waters for social impact or national government investment.
For the first time, these connections can be disaggregated and packaged according to the finance most suitable for each. This unbundling promises to open up more targeted developmental interventions and unlock the hitherto inaccessible types of commercial investor necessary for the industry to finally reach scale.
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Energising Agriculture in Myanmar
Energy access challenges are not confined to rural off-grid regions, they extend down agricultural value chains to on-grid urban markets where larger processors prepare output that is ready for wholesale or export markets. As one of the first of its kind to explore the agriculture/energy nexus beyond village scale productive uses, this study:
Describes tools that can be used to evaluate agricultural processes along the entire value chain continuum from small off-grid processors in the village to large on-grid urban factories;
Combines existing best practice, geospatial data, on-ground surveys and market information to evaluate the energy needs, value addition and practical characteristics of processing steps along three economically significant value chains in Myanmar - rice, cotton and BPO (beans, pulses and oilseeds);
Outlines opportunities to strategically invest in improving energy access along value chains to increase the value captured by rural farmers, boost processor productivity and strengthen this nationally vital sector.
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Agricultural value chains electrification: A Modelling Tool to Assess Potential Investment in the Ag-Energy-Water Nexus Case study: Nigerian rice value chain
Access to reliable and clean energy is one of the key challenges that inhibit development of the agricultural sector in poor and developing countries. The modernization of manual and fossil-based agricultural practices through clean energy access is a core element for poverty reduction. However, commercial investment is still inaccessible for the majority of the sector and investors struggle to make a profitable case when approaching such high risk opportunities. Investment decision making relies more and more on accurate and data-driven indicators; satellite imagery coupled with analytical tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are unlocking new ways of extracting high-impact information.
A geospatial model has been developed that considers the Agri-Energy-Water nexus from a value chain perspective, standardises processing methods and offers market-driven outputs which can serve as the first step for identifying and de-risking investment opportunities.
The model is meant to be replicable across countries and agricultural value chains and allows the processing of raw geospatial datasets to obtain the spatial distribution of energy requirements for the electrification of prospective irrigation and crop processing activities.
Furthermore, it offers the ability to extract economic indicators through a techno-economic feasibility assessment to map the areas with the highest potential for electrification. The Nigerian rice value chain has been used to validate the model.
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The Rural Futures Fund
Not all mini-grid connections are equal. A small householder using a minigrid connection to replace dirty and dangerous kerosene will generate a tiny fraction of the revenue of a commercial maize mill operator for example. The latter represents a commercial investment opportunity, the former a socially responsible intervention.
Till now, these very different customers have been lumped together, damaging the financial case for private sector investors and muddying the waters for social impact or national government investment.
For the first time, these connections can be disaggregated and packaged according to the finance most suitable for each. This unbundling promises to open up more targeted developmental interventions and unlock the hitherto inaccessible types of commercial investor necessary for the industry to finally reach scale.
Read more
Our guiding principles
Rural Industrial Development: We are passionate about moving economic value creation into communities and growing rural economies. We see rural entrepreneurs as best placed to steer development as they intimately understand local needs, see the gaps in the market and have a vested interest in the greater wellbeing of their communities beyond simple economic measures.
The Rural Futures Fund uses data to segment, aggregate and re-finance high-yield mini-grid connections (typically entrepreneurs and productive users). Read more here.
Equity: Historically the value of interventions have been overwhelmingly measured in short term economic returns. We are motivated by holistic, long term approaches where success is viewed through an evolving matrix of indicators including social justice, gender equity, environmental stewardship and access to basic services.
The Quality Assurance Framework is an evolving framework of standardised data-driven indicators that enables comparison and aggregation of energy projects as well as near-real time monitoring and evaluation of social, economic and environmental impact. Read more here.
Themes of interest
Energy as a key enabler: Africa and other rapidly evolving regions have several key underdeveloped sectors and large cross-sectional challenges. Energy is the foundation for modern development. Mirroring nature, the most interesting innovation happens at the dynamic edge where energy meets other key sectors, like agriculture.
VIDA uses satellite imagery and data layers including agricultural land use to identify high value investment opportunities in frontier markets. Read more here.
Productive Uses of Energy (PUE): PUE are agricultural, commercial and industrial activities that require electricity as a direct input for production of goods or provision of services. Provision of electricity will not automatically translate into rural development; to catalyse development, PUE needs to be stimulated and both upstream and downstream value chains need to be strengthened. Outputs from PUE that service a demand in larger economic hubs characterised by a greater ability to pay present the greatest opportunity. PUE can increase rural incomes. Increasing rural incomes is an important step towards rural development and unlocking a myriad of nascent rural commercial opportunities. We believe in the potential of PUE to create value and build prosperity locally.
Read our study on the development of metrics to quantify the relationship of energy and production along whole value chains and using these tools to prioritise energy investments into agricultural value chains in Myanmar [coming soon].
Data: Modern technology is enabling unprecedented high resolution insights into frontier markets. We are investing in data analytics to improve efficiency, to unlock new business models and to unlock new customer segments.
Read our report on how data and digital technologies are transforming energy access. Read more here.
Contact
TFE
152 Main Road
Muizenberg, Cape Town
7945, South Africa