Solar Sister wins 2019 Keeling Curve prize in the energy access category with African Clean Energy.
Created by Charles David Keeling, the Keeling Curve is an infamous graph depicting the alarming increase in atmospheric CO2 since 1953. Every year, the Keeling Curve Prize awards projects that have significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) or promote carbon uptake, and bend the Keeling curve in the planet’s favour.
This year the prize awarded $250,000 across five categories, including, Carbon Capture & Utilization, Social & Cultural Impact, and Energy Access.
Ten excellent projects won awards alongside Solar Sister, including Science Based Targets that helps companies set emissions reduction targets aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. Other winners include Clean Energy Works, an electric bus financing organization, and Opus12, a CO2 recycling organization.
“It’s really wonderful to share the stage with this group of outstanding initiatives. Solar Sister understands that everyone must get access to clean energy if we are to tackle the climate crisis. Local women are leading the way!”
— Katherine Lucey, Solar Sister CEO
Solar Sister reduces GHG emissions by increasing the uptake of clean, affordable lighting and cooking solutions through a network of women entrepreneurs across sub Saharan Africa. As households in rural villages get access to clean energy solutions, they rely less on fossil fuels for lighting and cooking. Ensuring that everyone has access to sustainable energy technologies plays a crucial role in reducing fossil fuel reliability, and thus curbing global GHG emissions.
The Keeling Curve Prize award will help Solar Sister to meet the size of the challenge, increasing our network of women entrepreneurs and powering more communities with clean, energy.
Keeling Curve Prize Created in 2017, the Keeling Curve Prize rewards a diverse selection of projects reducing greenhouse gas emissions or increasing carbon uptake. Our goal is to advance the knowledge, development, and/or implementation of contemporary solutions that will make a prosperous future viable. https://www.kcurveprize.org/.
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Solar Sister Solar Sister is a movement of women, men, allies and partners who care about the well-being of people and planet. We believe everyone deserves clean energy and we know African women can transform their communities. Together, we are democratizing light and energy, and we are leaving no one behind. Join us to reach 10 million people across Africa by 2023.
www.solarsister.org
For media inquiries, contact Fid Thompson at fid@solarsister.org