Financing Decentralized Renewable Energy for the Last Mile – What funding sources and instruments can be applied?

This background discussion paper seeks to explore the opportunities to unlock finance for Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) solutions that impact the ‘last mile’, thereby providing
an impetus to the work on accessing affordable credit for DRE. The paper is a work-in-progress and is based on a rapid desk review of literature and the experiences of key organizations in the sectora ,
to better understand what has worked and what opportunities are worth exploring in the future.

While this is not an exhaustive piece of research, it is an attempt to revitalize the discussion on the types of sources and instruments that could help address the challenge of financing DRE for the ‘last
mile’ where affordability is a major constraint. Hivos welcomes comments and feedback on the instruments, sources and opportunities suggested here, including the practical feasibility of
realizing these opportunities.