Abstract
Lack of access to modern forms of energy hampers efforts to reduce poverty. The provision of electricity to off-grid communities is therefore a long-standing developmental goal. Yet, many off-grid electrification projects neglect mid- and long-term operation and maintenance costs. When this is the case, electricity services are unlikely to be affordable to the communities that are the project’s primary target. Here we show that, compared with diesel-powered electricity generation systems, solar photovoltaic systems are more affordable to no less than 36% of the unelectrified populations in East Asia, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. We do so by developing geo-referenced estimates of affordability at a high level of resolution (1 km2). The analysis illustrates the differences in affordability that may be found at the subnational level, which underscores that electrification investments should be informed by subnational data.
Highlights
Lack of access to modern forms of energy hampers efforts to reduce poverty
Whereas the populations of Africa and China are similar in size, Africa’s installed electricity generation capacity is one-tenth of that in C hina[2]
For 71 countries, the analysis identifies the unelectrified communities in which solar-powered electricity generation is a feasible option even when competing with low-priced diesel
Summary
Lack of access to modern forms of energy hampers efforts to reduce poverty. The provision of electricity to off-grid communities is a long-standing developmental goal. Many off-grid electrification projects neglect mid- and long-term operation and maintenance costs When this is the case, electricity services are unlikely to be affordable to the communities that are the project’s primary target. We show that, compared with diesel-powered electricity generation systems, solar photovoltaic systems are more affordable to no less than 36% of the unelectrified populations in East Asia, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. The economic, social and environmental impacts of this shortage contribute to perpetuating poverty in these regions[3] For this reason, providing electricity to unelectrified communities has been a long-standing policy priority of national governments, aid donor- and aid recipient-countries, and is an ambition incorporated in the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly. In grid-connected communities in sub-Saharan Africa, insufficient generation capacity and inadequate transmission and distribution infrastructure result in frequent outages. Europe has seen major reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide
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