Across EPP’s areas of work, the current moment has been characterized by unprecedented levels of disruption. Geopolitical realignment, shifting international priorities, and shrinking public sector funding have combined with growing insecurity and ongoing uncertainty about the future. These developments will continue to shape 2025 and beyond. In recent weeks, team members have attended a number of events and convenings, engaging with a wide range of partners: the SEforAll Forum, Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week, ARE Energy Access Forum, REC Market Week, and more. These events have allowed us to better understand how our partners across different sectors are adjusting to the challenges of today, including a strengthening of commitments by many to support renewable energy and energy access. These interactions also highlighted the broadbase community of stakeholders that support and benefit from renewable energy across the globe.
EPP and Climate Policy Initiative co-hosted a session on "Innovative Climate Action: Blended Finance Solutions in Emerging Markets" during San Francisco Climate Week in late April. The event offered a deep dive into various efforts to leverage catalytic capital for high impact projects in some of the most challenging markets, including eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition to EPP and CPI, panelists included representatives from Nuru (EPP’s partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Acumen (who recently launched the $250 million Hardest-to-Reach Initiative). Notably, P-RECs and the P-REC Aggregation Facility were highlighted as innovative market instruments that can help project developers de-risk projects and catalyze investment. The event was oversubscribed, reflecting interest in new approaches and solutions to renewable energy finance in a landscape where public funding is shrinking. Attendees representing philanthropic donors, project implementers, investors, and advocacy organizations.
-Katie Retz
The 2025 Humanitarian Network and Partnerships Week (HNPW) took place in Geneva in late March. It was a more somber affair than in years past, given the drastic funding cuts facing the entire humanitarian sector, at a time of rising needs. EPP took part in a number of sessions highlighting innovation and engagement with the private sector, as participants explored other ways to mobilize investment and funding for critical humanitarian programming. Much of the discussion was on the potential for accessing climate-related financing as a relatively untapped source of revenue in the humanitarian sector, with lessons shared from EPP’s experiences with the P-REC and a handful of other successful examples.
-Dave Mozersky
The SEforALL Forum, held in March in Bridgetown Barbados, brought together stakeholders working to advance universal access to electricity. In an environment of uncertainty and diminishing resources, high-level speakers sought to remind participants of the urgency of a just renewable energy transition given that more than 600 million people still lack access and that sustainable energy remains key to economic growth and resilience. With Barbadian Prime Minister Mia observing that “we need to play on the pitch as we find it not as we wish it to be,” attention was given to the importance of new models, collective action, and a call to the private sector and philanthropy to step up. The World Bank and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative was showcased as a flagship initiative around which the community could galvanize, and the distributed renewable energy (DRE) sector, including minigrids, were highlighted as in need of particular support. The Forum allowed EPP to take stock of trends and developments in the energy access space, while providing an opportunity to meet with numerous existing and potential partners,
-Sherwin Das
“The Energy Access Investment Forum 2025, held in Kampala, focused on boosting investment in renewable energy for electricity access, decarbonization, and economic growth. It brought together investors, industry leaders, and government officials. Given the recent policy changes by the U.S. government, specifically the defunding of USAID and renewable energy projects, the forum took on even greater significance. There was an increased focus on alternative funding, and an emphasis on sustainable business models, with discussions that included innovative financing mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and de-risking instruments. The importance of regional cooperation and showcasing resilience and innovation were also key highlights of the Forum.”
-Stephen Otieno
It became clear at the REC Market Meeting that now, more than ever, companies seek clean energy procurement solutions that deliver the maximum power sector decarbonization possible, as efficiently as possible, so they can both achieve their near-term business goals and reduce longer-term external risks to their business operations.
-Doug Miller
Both buyers and advisory firms represented at the RMM had the opportunity to learn more about P-RECs, which play a key role in supporting the development of clean energy markets in conflict-affected countries. With this increased awareness, there is a new sense of commitment to encourage decarbonization in these markets and optimism that finally electricity markets in these countries will experience healthy growth in the coming years.
-Linda Wamune
EPP’s focus on increasing renewable energy investment in fragile states is more important than ever, as conflict-affected countries, which already receive the smallest share of climate investment, have been hardest hit by recent funding cuts. Current events are highlighting the need for new and innovative financing solutions to fill the gap. EPP is optimistic that the P-REC - our innovative finance solution around which the organization was founded eight years ago - is well positioned to meet the moment and deliver catalytic finance for high impact community electrification projects in the world’s most fragile communities.