Panel Discussion 2: Where Energy Creates Value: Startup Solutions for DRE-Driven Livelihoods

​Session: Where Energy Creates Value: Startup Solutions for DRE-Driven Livelihoods
Date: May 25
Time: 3:00 PM

​About the Session
This session explores how distributed renewable energy (DRE) can move beyond basic electrification to directly enable income-generating activities and strengthen rural livelihoods. It will focus on how startups are designing solutions that use clean energy for real, productive applications across agriculture, dairy, and rural enterprises.

​The discussion will cover:

• ​What actually works on the ground: Real use cases in sectors like agriculture, dairy, and MSMEs, including lessons from both successful and failed models

• ​Business models that sustain: Insights into ownership vs pay-per-use, leasing, and community-based approaches

• ​Financing and scale: Understanding affordability challenges, unit economics, and what it takes to scale DRE solutions

• ​Inclusion and access: Examining who benefits—especially women, youth, and smallholder farmers—and the barriers that still limit participation

​Who Should Attend

• ​Startups and innovators working in clean energy, rural livelihoods, or climate solutions

• ​Social entrepreneurs and organizations focused on last-mile service delivery

• ​Investors and ecosystem enablers interested in scalable, impact-driven models

• ​Policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners

• ​Anyone interested in how energy can unlock economic value in underserved communities

​Why Attend
If you're building, supporting, or exploring solutions at the intersection of clean energy and livelihoods, this session offers grounded insights into what makes models viable, scalable, and inclusive in real-world rural contexts.