The number of people using off-grid solar lights in developing countries has increased dramatically from 15.4M in 2012 to 112M in 2021, IRENA states in its new report “Off-grid Renewable Energy Statistics 2022.”
In a recent article posted on the Irena website, the organizations states that off-grid and decentralized energy systems have emerged as an alternative to facilitate energy access and resilience in a flexible and adaptable way, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, which face some of the world’s biggest gaps in energy access rates.
IRENA’s new report Off-grid Renewable Energy Statistics 2022 shows that off-grid renewables continue to grow despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report provides statistics for the period 2012–2021 covering mini-grids, biogas for cooking and lighting, off-grid solar lights, pumps, and home solar systems across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
“IRENA’s Off-grid Renewable Energy Statistics publication captures the major trends in off-grid renewable energy deployment that are often unrecorded in countries. It is an essential tool for monitoring and measuring the role of off-grid renewables to achieve the energy transition and universal energy access by 2030,” said Dennis Akande, IRENA’s Associate Program Officer, Statistics.
Read the full IRENA article here.
Image credit: IRENA