Where next for the off-grid solar industry?

More than 1.2 billion people in the world live without access to electricity. It's an issue that's holding back development. The World Bank estimates that, with reliable power, African economies could be growing up to two percentage points faster every year.

The emergence of off-grid solar systems used by homes and small businesses is beginning to address the problem. These typically consist of a solar panel and battery, which powers a set of lights, a phone charger and radio. Whilst this industry has grown massively in recent years, how much further can it go and what barriers to the companies in the industry face?

In this podcast we speak to three people working in the sector to answer these questions:
- Jesse Moore, CEO and Co-Founder of M-Kopa
- Laura Sundblad, who works on access to finance at GOGLA - the Global Off-Grid Lighting Assocation
- Geoff Manley, Investment Director at CDC and the person leading our off-grid solar strategy