Session I : PUE appliances & equipment: State of the market & addressing the consumer financing challenge

Productive Use of Energy (PUE) appliances are essential to turning energy access into income generation and rural economic growth. While the market has expanded, uptake remains constrained by limited purchasing power and restricted access to tailored, affordable financing. Smallholder farmers and rural SMEs often lack collateral or credit history, while financiers face high transaction costs and perceived risks. 

This session will assess the state of the PUE market and explore innovative consumer financing approaches — including PAYGo, asset-based finance, results-based incentives, and data-driven credit models — that can unlock demand and support scalable deployment. 

A spotlight will be placed on solar irrigation as a flagship PUE application. Drawing on the experience of a leading solar water pump company, the discussion will illustrate how solar irrigation translates energy into productivity gains, higher farm incomes, and strengthened resilience. The role of IoT and performance data in de-risking financing and strengthening the PUE business case will also be highlighted. 

The session aims to position PUE not only as an energy solution, but as a driver of productive capacity and long-term rural transformation.