Session brief:

Many productive-use cleantech solutions for livelihoods, from solar dryers to cold storage, are commercially viable over their lifetime. India’s potential market for these technologies is nearly USD 50 billion, spanning over 37 million livelihoods. Despite this potential, CEEW estimates an unmet credit need of USD 1.1–5.7 billion for just five mature technologies. Their high upfront cost means most users still rely on personal savings, subsidies and philanthropic capital. The missing piece is end-user credit that fits the asset. Mid-sized assets are too large for microfinance institutions but too small in ticket for larger banks to appraise, while smaller assets often face higher interest rates and shorter tenures than larger ones. 

The session will explore how end-user financing for cleantech innovations can be scaled, and what barriers currently exist and can be solved for. It will bring together lenders, clean energy practitioners and ecosystem stakeholders to identify practical approaches to addressing gaps in credit access, improving the viability of lending, and building lender confidence through stronger repayment evidence. The discussion will focus on translating these challenges into actionable solutions through collaboration across lenders, technology providers and enabling institutions, with the aim of developing a more responsive financing ecosystem that can support wider adoption of DRE livelihood technologies.