Embrace decentralised renewable energy for power supply

Decentralized Renewables: From Promise to Progress

March 2017, 18 pages

A ground-breaking report released by Power for All identifies the five most important national energy policies needed to end electricity poverty for approximately 1 billion rural poor (mostly living in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia), and outlines the steps governments can take to implement those policies, in particular the integration of decentralized renewable solutions into energy infrastructure planning and build-out.

The report centers on new quantitative and qualitative analysis from the Platform for Energy Access Knowledge (PEAK) -- a joint project between the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), University of California, Berkeley and the Power for All campaign. PEAK examined the policies of five high-growth decentralized renewable energy (DRE) markets - India and Bangladesh in Asia, and Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia in Africa - to identify trends in energy policy that will help other countries replicate success.

Countries in Africa and South Asia should embrace inexpensive decentralised renewable energy (DRE) technologies for clean, sustainable and affordable power for all, says the report.

When innovative technologies are implemented in Africa, they will provide energy and aid food preservation activities such as drying, cooling and cooking, Shirley explains, adding that DRE technologies could support the social, economic, environmental and sustainable development of communities through improved livelihoods, well-being and quality of life.

The report cites Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania as “leading the world” in adoption of solar energy technology systems including use of solar energy for powering homes.

Background:
Power for All is a global campaign to accelerate the deployment of market-based DRE as the key to achieving universal energy access. The campaign is a coalition of over 170 businesses and civil society organizations focused on DRE, including solar, hydro, biomass, and wind designed for households and businesses. Learn more at powerforall.org.