The State of Electricity Access Report (SEAR) 2017 begins with an examination of the critical role of energy toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), then provides a snapshot of the status of electricity access, based on the recent Global Tracking Framework. It explores how countries can create a conducive environment for a transformative electricity access roll out, how clean energy fits into the picture, and how emerging and innovative service delivery models can accelerate progress on meeting the goals.
This report, funded by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), is supplemented by a package of other materials such as 10 Special Features that delve into topics ranging from electricity planning, human capital, gender, water, health, food, and agriculture—including in emergencies— to climate change, energy efficiency, and results-based financing, five case studies; and four impact evaluation reports.
Its objective is to prompt governments, donors, the private sector, civil society organizations, and practitioners to develop interventions to close the electricity access gap by integrating lessons learned from countries that have expanded electricity access to their population, with insights drawn from emerging innovative business and delivery models. The SEAR is organized around five main questions:
- Why is electricity access critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
- What is the status of electricity access?
- What are the challenges and drivers of transformative electricity access?
- Why is it important to explore synergies between access, renewables, and energy efficiency?
- What are the emerging and innovative business and delivery models?
The key findings of the report are that urgent measures are needed to speed up access to modern energy services or there will still be several countries in 2030, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a significant percentage of the population going without. Both grid and off-grid approaches will be critical, but they will have to be supported by a conducive enabling environment of the right institutions, policies, strategic planning, regulations, and incentives. The good news is that lower costs for renewable energy technologies and adequate energy efficiency measures should make it possible for countries to be creative in meeting this challenge and put the emphasis on “clean energy”—that is, renewable energy and energy efficiency. There is also a growing role for the private sector to finance interventions, assuming the incentives are in place for investors to earn returns on their investments.
