Energy access

Our energy access focus

We will maintain our leadership in humanitarian energy, develop our portfolio and influence in energy for agriculture and develop larger scale clean cooking programmes, linking to carbon finance.

​The Global Distributors Collective (see below) will deliver widespread systems change, and we will develop a plan for its long-term future.

• Enabling people to access electricity that could improve their health, education and livelihoods
• Helping commercial providers of mini-grids, biogas and solar systems reach poor and remote communities profitably for all
• Reducing harmful smoke inhalation by using cleaner cooking stoves and fuels

What makes us different

• We understand the needs of energy-poor communities and have a track record of getting their voice centre-stage.​
• We combine our expertise in renewable energy and agriculture to improve rural livelihoods and are strategic in identifying the best roles for us to play in this area.​
• We are well respected on clean cooking and are using a range of approaches to increase our scale including linking to carbon finance. ​
• We have experience in how energy can be effectively provided in rural areas to transform schools and health centres.

Policy and influence

We are calling for an urgent scale-up of inclusive energy access, ensuring no one is left behind in 2030.

We are advocating for a large increase in public and private funding for decentralised energy solutions. Funding needs go beyond addressing energy supply to include support for developing productive uses of energy, to ensure energy access is truly transformative and reduces poverty.

Much more effort is needed to address the clean cooking challenge. Funding is needed to support a variety of technical options and programmes creating awareness and behaviour change.

Through our technical advisory work, we assist governments to create enabling policy and regulatory frameworks for off-grid energy access.