Energy access is essential to achieving sustainable development. Our focus has been on understanding energy poverty and developing sustainable solutions to address these realities. We work mostly in the “off-grid” and “low-income” sectors to provide communities with access to an integrated and sustainable energy solution. While our experience base is diverse, there are certain areas of specialization that emerge through the portfolio of completed work.
We have substantial experience in all phases of energy access programme development from design to implementation to monitoring and evaluation. Energy access has moved beyond the Research & Development phase and Restio has tracked these movements, having been involved in numerous technology implementation environments in various capacities.
We understand the importance of developing supportive policy and regulatory frameworks to promote access to modern energy services and realise the associated developmental dividends. Restio has been involved in developing policy and regulatory frameworks that encourage standardisation, best practice and compliance while ensuring these frameworks are light-handed, supportive and accommodating of innovation. Planning is integral to developing effective policy, ensuring opportunities are perceived within clear geographic and time-based determinants.
SMEs and micro enterprises have a role to play in underpinning improved access to modern energy services. SMEs provide the commercial platform for distributing, supporting and servicing renewable energy technologies as well as stimulating the local economy. Restio Energy has been extensively involved in the commercialisation of energy access including participating in the establishment of one of the first off-grid utility companies in South Africa, developing the ‘EnerGcare’ brand of RE products in Southern Africa, developing and implementing the Productive Use Container, reviewing energy based enterprises in East Africa under the Deepening Energy Enterprise Programme (DEEP), reviewing the Capital Access Renewable Energy (CARE) programme, amongst others.
New technologies, products and services are important but an understanding of the market is arguably even more so. Restio Energy has a long professional history understanding the socio-economic realities of energy consumers at the household level. We have undertaken extensive socio-economic and energy consumption surveys which have assisted with product, business and policy development.