Energy of the future: ubiquitous

Solar radiation, wind, biomass and water are renewable resources available in nature. One of the great challenges of our time is to develop the necessary technology to obtain sustainable energy from these resources anywhere. Doing so will guarantee access to electricity for entire populations that currently do not have reliable supplies, whilst continuing to reduce pollutant emissions.

Currently, 1 in 5 people have no electricity at home or to run their business. Most of them live in rural and isolated areas located far away from the electricity grid where microgrids that use available renewable resources would be the most feasible solution [1]. Some initiatives, such as the programme Lighting Africa, aim to make clean, affordable and quality off-grid products accessible to over 250 million Sub-Saharan people who live with no electricity [2].

As United Nations’ Secretary-General remarked on the event Sustainable Energy for All: “Energy is the golden thread connecting economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability [3].”

[1] Electricity Beyond The Grid – Accelerating Access to Sustainable Power for All. Report compiling opinion and experience of sixteen experts involved in off-grid electrification projects in Africa and Asia: http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/energy-utilities-mining/pdf/electricity-beyond-grid.pdf

[2] http://www.lightingafrica.org/

[3] http://www.unfoundation.org/what-we-do/issues/energy-and-climate/clean-energy-development.html