CleanStart - Microfinance Opportunities for a Clean Energy Future

This publication is joint product of the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and UNDP, CleanStart is a new programme to help poor households and micro-entrepreneurs access financing from microfinance institutions coupled with technical assistance for low-cost clean energy applications. CleanStart promotes appropriate financing arrangements, supports quality assurance measures for end users, and addresses key gaps in energy value chains to contribute to a mutually beneficial cycle of investment and building awareness, as well as create a new market segment with higher returns for participating institutions. CleanStart will be piloted in six countries and aims to help lift at least 2.5 million people out of energy poverty by 2017 and to establish a viable concept for a much wider uptake. This publication shares the experience of UNCDF and UNDP in designing the CleanStart approach, which has already been launched in Nepal and a CleanStart assessment mission was recently undertaken in Uganda. CleanStart benefits from the support of Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), whose generous financial contributions made this publication possible.