About Us

Welcome! This is the energy corner of the Invisible Schoolhouse.

Acknowledgments

This website was made possible with generous support from USAID, Accenture, Citi Foundation and Net Impact. Existing materials were drawn from E+Co, the UNEP, the UNFCCC, Ashden Awards and others.

Vision

A worldwide, vibrant and open community where clean energy entrepreneurs in the global South come together to advance their interests through self-study, lateral knowledge sharing, and quality advice and services from energy investment experts.

Mission

This site is meant to provide information, business development and advisory services to clean energy entrepreneurs in the global South.

Objectives

1. To increase the availability of high-quality information and advisory services for entrepreneurs.
2. To invest in as many of those enterprises as possible to continue helping them grow.

How It Works

The basic building block we'll work with is the "course." Entrepreneurs can enroll in the courses that interest them, provided they meet all the requirements. Some courses are self-learning tutorials. Others have more interactive aspects in which entrepreneurs are matched with one or more business advisers who provide tailored feedback and help ready the deal for investment.

If you are located in Senegal, Ghana or Tanzania and are working in the field of solar PV, biogas, hydro or improved cookstoves, you will be given priority access to advisory services. All others are welcome to use the materials at their own discretion. We are looking forward to a wider roll-out of services, including additional countries and technologies, in 2010.

Presently, all advisers have an affiliation with E+Co, a US-based company that provides business development services and capital to clean energy enterprises in over 25 countries. Though they may help you arrange co-financing and next-stage growth financing, these advisers are primarily concerned with producing investment opportunities for E+Co.