Solar mini-grids are a key element in strategies to achieve universal access to modern energy by 2030. In many settings mini-grids offer a combination of affordability, reliability, and capacity for productive use of power, moreso than most solar home systems and some central grids. Yet the...

Access to electricity is typically the main benefit associated with solar panels, but in economically less developed countries, where access to electricity is still very limited, solar panel systems can also serve as means to generate additional income and to diversify income sources. We analyze...

Direct DC Solar (DDS) electricity can inexpensively cook food and charge appliances. Insulating the cooking chamber allows the food to cook with a lower-power (less expensive) solar panel over a longer cooking time. We explain how using a chain of diodes instead of a resistive heater extracts...

The transition from laboratory research to pilot scale trials can be challenging for novel water treatment technologies. This transition is even more complex for technologies intended for use in a developing country context due to cultural, infrastructural, financial and capacity related...

Successful scale-up of any development project requires a deep understanding of the real-world economics of the intervention, and compelling evidence that such an investment would be worthwhile. This cost-benefit estimate is typically assessed in two ways: (a) by comparing the coefficient of...

Containerized' infrastructure solutions have the potential to power the needs of under-resourced communities at the Food/Water/Health nexus, particularly for off-grid, underserved, or remote populations. Drawing from a uniquely large sample of identical containerized solar photovoltaic energy...

We present a cooking technology consisting of a solar panel directly connected to an electric heater inside of a well-insulated chamber. Assuming continued decrease in solar panel prices, we anticipate that in a few decades Solar Electric Cooking (SEC) technologies will be the most common...