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How does clean cooking contribute to energy access?Clean cooking refers to the use of efficient cookstoves in combination with low-polluting cooking fuels such as electricity or gas instead of kerosene or open fires burning wood, animal dung, or coal. Energy used for cooking accounts for more than half of household energy consumption and expenditure in many middle- and low-income countries. There is no access to modern energy services without considering clean cooking as part of the equation.   Clean cooking’s role in developmentThe transition to clean cooking is critical to SDG 7 (achieving universal energy access by 2030). In 2026, about 2 billion people relied on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking. Changing this would help prevent around 2.9 million deaths each year from household air pollution, including more than 309,000 deaths of children under the age of 5 (WHO 2025). Accelerating access to clean cooking solutions would help fight climate change, promote gender equality, and help create jobs.  Challenges and solutions to clean cookingClean cooking solutions are often unaffordable for low-income households, while awareness of their benefits remains limited. Weak supply chains and inadequate infrastructure further hinder adoption, especially in emerging markets. Overcoming these barriers requires technology-neutral approaches, including policy reform, targeted subsidies, and innovative financing. ESMAP’s Clean Cooking Fund advances global advocacy and stakeholder engagement while providing financing, technical assistance, and systematic support to developing countries to scale clean cooking access. 

Places with cold climates need access to a reliable and efficient heat supply for the health of their population. But in developing countries, the majority of rural and peri-urban households do not have access to centralized heating or gas networks. Instead, they use traditional heating stoves that use solid fuels like coal, wood, and dung for heating. These stoves are often inefficient (with thermal efficiency as low as 25%-40% compared to 70% or above for efficient stoves) and emit large amounts of pollutants (e.g., CO and PM2.5), causing indoor and outdoor air pollution with negative health and environmental impacts.

La Villa 31, un icónico asentamiento urbano en el centro de Buenos Aires, alberga a unas 43.000 personas pobres de la ciudad. En Argentina, paradójicamente, los barrios marginales urbanos se denominan “villas”, una palabra ligada generalmente al lujo en muchas partes del mundo.

Villa 31, an iconic urban settlement in the heart of Buenos Aires, is home to about 43,000 of the city’s poor. In Argentina, paradoxically, urban slums are called ‘ villas’ – a word usually tied with luxury in many parts of the world.

LED street lighting in a municipal park. © Orion Trail / Thinkstock Photos. Further permission required for reuse. Each city is unique, defined not only by the individuals who call it home but also by the energy it exudes…and consumes. Projections indicate that 5 billion people (60% of the world’s population) will live in cities by 2050 and, according to the International Energy Agency, the overall demand for lighting will be 80% higher by 2030 than in 2005. Street lighting energy consumption is an increasingly significant part of cities energy use and a growing burden on municipal budgets.

What is the link between energy poverty and gender inequality?Energy poverty affects nearly half the world, due to social norms and tradition, women and girls disproportionately bear the burden of energy poverty and are significantly underrepresented in decision-making regarding energy choices, from households to national strategies. At the same time, women are notably underrepresented in employment and leadership roles across the energy sector. Limited data suggests they represent just 22 per cent of the oil and gas workforce and 32 per cent of those employed in renewables. Main challenges facing women in the energy sector and the solutionsWomen face significant barriers in the energy sector, including limited access to STEM education, gender bias in hiring and promotion, and restrictive cultural norms. Additionally, energy poverty exposes women to health risks from polluting cooking and lighting fuels, physical strain from firewood collection, and inadequate access to modern appliances and healthcare services due to unreliable electricity. These challenges hinder women’s professional inclusion and overall well-being. How addressing gender in energy contributes to developmentIncreasing women’s participation in the energy sector promotes diverse perspectives and decision-making, drives innovation, fosters sustainable development, and better solutions for global energy challenges. Improved access to clean energy and modern appliances enhances women’s health, empowers them through education and information, and frees time for economic activities. Electrification of homes and health facilities lowers mortality rates and raises living standards, supporting gender equality and sustainable growth.

published report by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) on the integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) into national grid systems shows once again that adding solar, wind and other forms of VRE does not represent the calamity for grid operators or the high costs that are frequently claimed, particularly in mainstream media. In fact, with proper planning, integrating relatively high levels of renewable energy generation into a large, interconnected grid is feasible at modest incremental cost.

Last month the World Bank launched a new Global Solar Atlas: a free, online tool that lets you zoom into areas anywhere in the world in great detail (1km resolution), and with downloadable poster maps for all developing countries. This new interactive tool is welcome news for anyone – policymaker or commercial developer – who has ever looked for solar maps or resource data from the cluttered and sometimes confusing array of public resources available