How decentralised renewable solutions improve livelihoods in vulnerable communities

Energy is a catalyst and enabler of development. Societies cannot develop without reliable, adequate and affordable energy services. 

Globally, the percentage of people with access to electricity has risen gradually in recent decades. However, more than 733 million people remain without basic energy access and more than 2.4 billion rely on traditional cooking fuels, according to the Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2022.

Under the business-as-usual case, around 670 million people will still lack access to electricity by 2030. The majority will be in Sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 1.1 billion will lack access to clean cooking in 2030.

Access to energy services is a crucial factor in meeting fundamental and essential needs – food security and access to drinking water. Energy access is a catalyst for enhanced health facilities and education, leading to increased security, employment and stability.

Decentralised renewable 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 facing some of the world’s biggest gaps in energy access rates.

Decentralised renewable energy solutions – including stand-alone systems and mini-grids – will play a crucial role in achieving universal access to modern energy in a timely and sustainable manner.

According to the latest IRENA Off-grid Renewable Energy Statistics report, off-grid renewables are continuing to grow despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Off-grid renewable solutions include mini-grids, biogas for cooking and lighting, off-grid solar lights, solar pumps, and solar home solar systems. These solutions are being deployed across Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Oceania, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Rural communities with no access to electricity often use polluting and expensive lighting sources such as kerosene lamps or candles, producing fumes that can cause severe health problems.

Off-grid solar lights are a simple and efficient solution. With support from policymakers and private investors, the number of people using off-grid solar lights has increased dramatically from 15.4 million in 2012 to 112 million in 2021.

In Africa alone, the number of people benefitting from off-grid solar lights reached 52.6 million in 2021, according to the latest IRENA Off-grid Renewable Energy Statistics report.

Access to reliable energy is a prerequisite for the delivery of quality health services to all, be it to power incubators in maternity wards, lighting in delivery rooms, immunisation services or basic diagnostics and administrative needs.

In the context of countries and regions with high levels of poverty and an absence of reliable energy supply, decentralised renewable energy can play a critical role in democratising essential services such as health and education.

By strengthening primary healthcare infrastructure and building the resilience of healthcare systems for the poor, sustainable energy can catalyse improvements in socio-economic and health indicators.

Clean and affordable decentralised renewable energy can strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations, helping them adapt to the growing impacts of climate change by improving agricultural productivity.

Access to reliable and affordable energy is a key infrastructure input for improving agricultural productivity, reducing losses and capturing value creation opportunities through processing and enhanced market access.

The deployment of solar PV in food value chains represents a resilient pathway for climate-vulnerable, remote communities.

Access to clean cooking is a basic need.

The use of inefficient stoves is a major contributor to indoor pollution, which has detrimental impacts on the health of women and children.

While large numbers of people still depend on wood and charcoal for cooking, the use of biogas as a clean cooking solution has been expanding across African and Asian countries.

Clean cooking improves living conditions and helps to reduce the effects of climate change. In 2021, over 122 million people benefited from biogas for cooking. Yet, if the current trend continues, only around 76 percent of the world population will have access to clean cooking by 2030, leaving a projected 2.1 billion people without access in 2030.

IRENA works to bring together different experiences and best practices via various platforms, collaborations, capacity building activities and knowledge products.

The Beyond Food Clean Cooking Platform (BFCCP), launched by IRENA and the UAE government, facilitates increased access to clean cooking. By fostering cooperation and coordinating actions focused on policy, enterprise development, gender equality, entrepreneurship and finance facilitation, the platform aims to promote the deployment, replication and scale-up of clean cooking solutions.