Meeting Poor Household Energy Needs through Microfinance

Project Title: Nepal: Integrated Renewable Energy Technology Promotion

The vast majority of Nepalese living in rural areas lack access to electricity, a key ingredient for improving food security and economic opportunity. This program eliminates financial and technical barriers that stand in the way of rural communities reaping the benefits of renewable energy. Supported by the Dutch development bank and NMB bank, Winrock bridges the gap between end users and local financial institutions as well as the divide between local financial institutions and commercial banks. This is accomplished through a series of awareness campaigns, orientation programs and capacity building initiatives. So far, the effort has resulted in nearly 14,000 households receiving electricity from small solar, micro hydro and clean and efficient cooking solutions.