Operational and Financial Performance of Mini-grid DESCOs: Findings and Insights from Pioneer Benchmarking of this Emerging Sector

As part of its market development work in Tanzania, IFC in mid-2016 carried out a benchmarking exercise of 20 distributed energy services companies using mini-grid technologies. The objective of this effort was to undertake a quantitative analysis "from the ground", with a view to (1) helping developers refine approaches to serving the market, (2) increasing investors' understanding of the nascent sector and (3) providing guidance to policymakers and development partners on where greater support is needed.