Financing Solutions to Energy Poverty in Nepal, Nicaragua and South Sudan

The 2021 Case Competition surpassed the first in terms of student registrations, with over 1000 university students from 37 countries registering. The prize package for this year was also substantially increased from $10,000 to $25,000, with the winning team alone taking home $10,000. One hundred and sixty energy professionals from around the world generously volunteered their time as mentors and judges.

Similar to the 2020 Competition, energy poverty was the focus of the 2021 Case Competition, but with an emphasis on how to finance solutions to energy poverty. Developing nations face real challenges when attempting to secure funding for infrastructure projects like enhancing and expanding their energy grids. Students in this year's Case Competition had to work within a maximum budget for each country based on that country's GDP and existing energy budget. Students also had to specify where their funding would come from, how it would be used, and how they would pay their investors back.

The 2021 Case Competition problem (aka the prompt) focused on three countries: Nepal, Nicaragua and South Sudan. Teams chose one of the three countries, thoroughly researching the existing energy landscape and the challenges of how to update the energy infrastructure. Though the focus of the Competition was on financing solutions to energy poverty, teams also had to take into account economic and environmental impacts from their plans. The 10-minute video and PDF presentations created by the teams reflected deep thought, extensive research and creative solutions. See the Finalists' presentations below.