PURE Demonstrators

Across sub-Saharan Africa, many farms and small businesses still run on diesel-powered equipment or unreliable power. Without the right equipment, production is inefficient and costly. As a result, the farms and small businesses face high operating costs and low productivity, which hinder profits and business growth. Closing this gap means giving people access to reliable, efficient equipment that helps increase productivity and income, reduce costs, and unlock new opportunities.

CLASP, through Efficiency for Access, has provided grants and hands-on support to 13 Productive Uses of Renewable Energy (PURE) Demonstrators in Kenya and Uganda. This has helped businesses adopt solar-powered productive use technologies  as a reliable and less costly alternative to diesel-powered equipment and unreliable power. These technologies include water pumps, irrigation systems, cooling units, and mills. Every technology adopted by the farms and small businesses is independently tested by VeraSol, a quality assurance programme for solar and off-grid appliances.

Beyond adoption of the technologies, the PURE demonstrators are also helping to create awareness of the benefits of using these appliances and equipment, the available technologies and suppliers in the market, and different financing options to support their purchase. For instance, the demonstrators use flexible payment plans to allow farmers and business owners to pay in installments over time as their income allows, rather than all at once.

Since 2025, this has meant real change on the ground. Young mushroom farmers are no longer losing their harvest to spoilage. Women’s groups are growing crops again after years of drought. Dairy cooperatives are keeping milk fresh long enough to reach better markets. Across 13 demonstrator projects in two countries, small businesses are showing what’s possible when the right equipment is put into the hands of people who can put clean energy to work.