Energy Access

In 2015, ENE contributed to research on assessing the role of decentralized, stand-alone photovoltaic systems in expanding access to electricity in Kenya. An evaluation of the World Bank’s measurement framework for access to modern energy was also carried out using a case study from rural Bangladesh and applying the framework to assess specific electricity access interventions in the country.

Stringent climate mitigation in South Asia may make clean cooking energy unaffordable for over 300 million people if suitable access support policies are not put in place, a study appearing in Nature Energy also showed. This highlights the need to carefully design complementary policies that account for development goals when implementing climate policies in developing countries.

Figure 1. Total access policy costs in South Asia in 2030 for the achievement of an 85, 90, 95, and 100% share of population having access to modern fuels, respectively. Results are shown for the for a no climate policy (NNP) as well as climate policy scenarios with US$30 (C30) and US$40 (C40) CO2eq price. Dark shaded bars show the lowest policy costs for the respective level of modern fuel access. Lighter shaded areas show the possible cost increase due to an inefficient access policy (illustrated by the arrows).

Last edited: 13 May 2016