The Rockefeller Foundation last week announced the formation of a global coalition aimed at providing sustainable energy for one billion people within this decade. Organizations joining this call to action include the African Development Bank, CDC the UK’s development finance institution, European Investment Bank, International Energy Agency, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Today one in ten of the world’s people (800 million) lack access to electricity, including half the population of Sub-Saharan Africa. Another 2.8 billion people lack access to electricity that is reliable enough to secure their livelihoods or power modern healthcare facilities and schools. The pandemic has only exacerbated the inequality of global energy access.
“In this era of unprecedented crises—including the coronavirus pandemic—we have a responsibility and remarkable opportunity to harness the power that can lead to a more equitable, safer world,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, “Our goal is ambitious yet achievable: to bring reliable and sustainable electricity, powered by renewable technologies, to a billion people by the decade’s end. Our success will empower millions of people to participate in a modern economy, growing economic opportunity for us all.”
As the world begins to focus on vaccine distribution and stimulus to help bring about a rapid end to the devastation of Covid-19, the new coalition is focused on unleashing the full potential of distributed renewable energy systems, including technologies such as mini-grids; grid-connected local generation, and storage; renewable power solutions for industrial and commercial clusters; and stand-alone commercial appliances. Over the past decade, technological breakthroughs have made these systems more affordable and easier to deploy; harnessing their impact is essential for rapidly providing electricity to power modern economies and critical social services.
Additional signatories of the call to action include the:
Africa Mini-Grid Developers Association
Global Association for the Off-grid Solar Energy Industry (GOGLA)
Gridworks (development and investment platform backed by UK CDC)
International Solar Alliance
Power Africa (government-led partnership coordinated by USAID)
Power for All
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)
UN Climate Change Conference COP26 Presidency (UK)