You might not immediately associate Microsoft with street lights in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But it was that company’s investment in something new called Peace Renewable Energy Credits last November that made it possible to turn on streetlights for about one third of the people living in Goma’s Ndosho neighbourhood in March, sparking celebrations in the streets.

PRECs are a unique and pioneering way to finance renewable energy projects in parts of the world that are prone to conflict and vulnerable to climate change, and where electrification is low and there is limited access for financing such projects. In DRC and South Sudan, Energy Peace Partners issues such credits.