Decentralized renewables have the potential to directly create up to 17,000 formal and 30,000 informal jobs in Kenya by 2022-23
Despite huge progress toward 100% electrification in India, a new study finds the reality quite different, with a huge need to focus on customer satisfaction
Despite progress, India’s rural electrification problem remains far from resolved. There are likely tens of millions of people without electric light at home, and some of the gains so far could be reversed when the harsh reality of irregular and unpredictable electric billing hits India’s rural poor.
Nigeria’s Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) Taskforce, which aims to accelerate modern electricity access initiatives by tackling the most pressing industry challenges, met on November 12, 2018 to review the success of the taskforce since its creation in February 2018.
Blacksmiths and other craftsmen in rural India—with the help of distributed solar power, local financing yet minimal innovation—are creating a path to better livelihoods with the support of SELCO Foundation.
For communities perilously living in flood prone areas, access to basic resources and opportunities is a perpetual challenge. River islands especially lack basic infrastructure and services such as healthcare, education, power, drinking water and sanitation. People risk the weather and flooding rivers, and make long journeys in difficult terrains to get basic health services such as vaccination, mother and child care, medicines, minor operations, etc. Medical emergencies can be particularly harrowing. Same challenges are prevalent across the sundarbans in Bangladesh, coastal areas of Rakhine in Myanmar, the lakes of Cambodia, and many other areas.
NITI Aayog, the government policy think tank in India, has recommended that the country’s Small Hydro Power (SHP) target of 5 GW by 2022 be advanced to 2019–20, which it says will aid in balancing variable solar energy in decentralized locations.
Five key barriers are preventing the scaling of off-grid renewable solutions in Nigeria: 1. tariffs and duties, 2. consumer awareness, 3. collaborative data sharing, 4. end-user payments and 5. standardization and certification.
Nigeria’s Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) Taskforce, which was launched in February to accelerate modern electricity access initiatives, met July 17, 2018, to review its success since its last meeting and set new milestones to be reached in order to grow the sector.
The North-West region is Nigeria’s second largest geopolitical zone, made up of 7 states which cover 216,065km2 and an estimated population of 45 million people, but yet its least electrified region with only 14.6 million people having access to electricity with the bulk of the un-electrified in rural communities.
In a joint ‘Call to Action’, the Government of Zimbabwe, Private Sector and Civil Society Make Bold Commitments to Build the Distributed Renewable Energy Market and Accelerate Progress towards Universal Energy Access
Exactly one year ago, the government of Sierra Leone embarked on a vision to achieve power for all, signing the first Energy Africa compact with the UK government. This resulted in the launch of the Sierra Leone Energy Revolution, a bold initiative to accelerate access to 250,000 homes by end of 2017 and provide universal electricity access by 2025.