Together with SEforALL, Power for All will launch a new report, "Why Wait? Seizing the Energy Access Dividend" at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn on November. 16. The Energy Access Dividend concept was originally put forward by Power for All in 2016, based on the need to account for the missed opportunities of individuals and nations of not having energy access.
The report explores the benefits that come with faster access to energy services and provides a new framework to measure the economic, social and environmental benefits that result from the accelerated delivery of electricity at the household and national level through DRE solutions. The goal of the report is to offer decision makers an integrated framework through which to assess these benefits, and help identify and prioritize the best path to provide electricity access at an accelerated pace while delivering potentially significant benefits.
The COP launch will highlight the importance of an integrated approach to energy planning that embraces centralized and decentralized solutions. By enabling electricity access through a range of solutions, electricity can be delivered faster to last-mile communities while securing development benefits -– financial, climate change, education.
Africa
Power for All and its partners were key participants in three different important events happening in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. On October 23, a business delegation from the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) met with AfDB’s senior energy leadership to discuss current and upcoming activities on energy access and to discuss areas where the mini-grids developers and operators can help support AfDB to better facilitate progress for the sector.
On October 24, with an open and candid discussion of the issues at an Offgrid Government Industry Dialogue organized by the Global Offgrid Lighting Association (GOGLA). This event saw energy ministries, rural electrification authorities and other government representatives constructively discuss how, as GOGLA puts it in their new policy guidance document, “Energy Access is a Policy Choice.”
The week rounded off with the “Unlocking Solar Capital” event co-organized by Solar Plaza and GOGLA. This event focused again on the hottest topics in finance and policy to help radically scale opportunities for the sector. One of the more interesting sessions discussed Engie’s recent acquisition of solar lighting leader Fenix International, where representatives of both firms discussed the value this will add to their own efforts and to the sector. Engie also noted that this move represents the beginning of much bigger plans in the space.
India
October was a busy month for the DRE sector in India, starting with the launch of the CLEAN State of the Sector report and ending with the release of a list of India's last-mile electrification top influencers on Twitter and the expansion of the Powering Rural India publication.
The State of the Sector report received significant attention in India and globally, with stories appearing in IANS (syndicated in Business Standard, Indian Express, etc), India Climate Dialogue, PV Tech, Decentralized Energy, and ESI Africa. The report was also widely shared on social media.
Additional coverage was generated for the launch of CEEW's new report on the link between rooftop solar and delivery of healthcare services in rural India, with stories in World Economic Forum, ImpactAlpha, Decentralized Energy, and India Climate Dialogue, with more expected to follow. Also, Power for All worked with CEEW to create a Research Summary of the report.
A two-part podcast interview was also recorded with Emerging Tech Radio (Part 1) and Part 2 to highlight the India-Africa opportunity for collaboration. Power for All also co-authored a piece for World Energy Day with Rockefeller Foundation that appeared in Devex.
Upcoming campaign events calendar
Bonn, 7-16 November: UN Climate Change Conference
Be sure to tune in on November 16 when Power for All CEO Kristina Skierka and SEforALL CEO Rachel Kyte release a new joint report, "Why Wait? Seizing the Energy Access Dividend."
Mumbai, 5-7 December: Intersolar India
Power for All will moderate a session at the Intersolar India event, where campaign partner, the Alliance for Rural Electrification, has curated an exciting line-up of sessions and speakers to explore the opportunities and challenges facing the sector. The session is titled "Business enabling policy frameworks for clean off-grid rural electrification".
Noida, India, 7-9 December: Global RE:Invest
Power for All is organizing a session on December 9, the day the International Solar Alliance will be officially launched, to explore the potential for collaboration between India and Sub-Saharan Africa on electricity access. The session is titled "South-South Synergies: ISA-Africa and the opportunity for SDG7 and Beyond". Collaboration between the two regions has the potential to fundamentally alter the trajectory for achieving universal electricity access, and turn it from aspiration to an imminent reality.