'Manik, a solar pump operator for Nusra' by World Bank Photo Collection via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/N1ZtUY

Clean Energy
for Development

The Clean Energy for Development research initiative supports 12 research projects that operate in 27 countries across three thematic bases: clean energy transition, micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and women and youth.

Explore the projects

Featured Blog

Beyond electricity access: Making Mission 300 sustainable through productive use

3 November 2026

Over 560 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still live without electricity. To address this challenge, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and other partners recently launched Mission 300, an ambitious USD$54 billion (~CAD75 billion) initiative to connect 300 million people in sub-Sahara Africa to electricity by 2030. But for Mission 300 to succeed, a […]

Concentrated Solar Pannels Farm, Noor III in Ouarzazate, Morocco, by Khalid Ghozlani, IDRC

Woman carrying a solar pannel near Yangambi, DRC. Photo by Axel Fassio/CIFOR via Flickr under licence CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. https://flic.kr/p/27NYoQe

Event

Gender-Responsive Renewable Energy for Empowerment and Inclusive Energy Transitions

Tuesday 10 November 2026

This side event, hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) as part of COP31, will explore how gender-responsive renewable energy can strengthen women’s livelihoods, agency and economic opportunities, drawing on field experiences from regional and global evidence, policy and financing perspectives. This event is in-person only, and open to anyone attending the […]

Solar panels, Bolivia

Learning

Inclusive and Clean Energy for SMEs in Rural Bolivia

7 October 2026

Bolivia has achieved high rates of electricity access, yet rural and semi-rural producers still face major barriers to securing reliable, affordable energy for productive use. Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agrifood sector play a central role in ensuring national food security and creating employment. However, they remain highly dependent on fossil-fuel-powered pumps with […]

Project News

New research progress briefs explore how renewable energy MSMEs can support sustainable agriculture

8 July 2026

Four new Research Progress Briefs have been published as part of the Clean Energy for Development research programme, sharing emerging insights from country projects in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda and Vietnam. The briefs are part of the three-year initiative “Leveraging renewable energy MSMEs for sustainable agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia”, led by the […]

Clean Energy for Development