The CleanStart Team has the pleasure to present the second issue of CleanStart Connections!

Since the last issue in November 2013, we have been out and about exploring new countries and talking to people who get energized just talking about energy, including both entrepreneurs and customers. That energized us too.

What did we learn as we went along?

We learned that microfinance institutions can be innovative when it comes to grant their clients access to renewable energy.

In addition, we learned that the market is changing very fast and we need to keep up to stay relevant. Pay-as-you-go financing for energy access has become much more relevant in the last couple of years and it is definitely transforming the market, with estimates that more than three million pay-as-you-go solar systems will be sold by 2019.

Could it be that the full potential of mass-market clean energy for the poor is about to become realized?

At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: the ability to offer people a range of choices, from choices in clean energy products to choices in how they finance the purchase of those products. It is about putting customers first.

The stories in this issue of CleanStart Connections will speak for themselves. You will be impressed at how resourceful people from different corners of the globe can be when it comes to energy.

We look forward to hearing your stories and aspirations, get in touch through Twitter @UNCDFCleanStart.