The main objective of the conference is to provide an opportunity for an exchange between practitioners from the industry, academia and development institutions working in the field of decentralized energy. The conference will cover technical, business and management aspects of solar technologies and mini grids with the aim of sharing experiences, learning from each other and networking. Solar technologies (including photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies) offer a unique opportunity to provide access to modern energies to more than 1 billion people in rural areas worldwide. Access to modern energy is an enabler and a necessity condition to improve the quality of life of households, to increase livelihood opportunities and productivity of enterprises and to professionalize the services of public institutions. However, access to energy should be embedded in cross-sectoral activities to achieve maximum impact. Thus, powering health centers and schools will only lead to better medical services and education if the necessary resources for appliances are available and proper management systems in place. Micro and small enterprises often invest in efficient equipment only if they have access to finance and to new markets. Solar crop drying or solar process heat can increase significantly the local added value of fresh produce. Mini-grids will transform rural communities if the full potential of the energy is used in the villages.