Energy access for all – a challenge and opportunity for climate-resilient development
Clean energy access can play a crucial role in development and poverty reduction. Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) aims to achieve affordable, reliable, and sustainable modern energy for all by 2030.
However, progress on SDG 7 is stalling. Innovation in planning, programming and investment is needed to speed up the global transition to clean energy.
Progress on electricity and clean cooking access
- 91% of the global population now has electricity (SDG 7 Tracker Report 2024).
- 685 million people still have no access (2022 data).
- 660 million are projected to remain in electricity poverty in 2030.
- Around 2.1 billion people, over a quarter of the world’s population, live in cooking poverty.
- If current trends continue, only 79% of the world’s population will have access to clean cooking by 2030.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest levels of energy poverty. Over 80% of those without electricity and five in ten of those without clean cooking live in the region. Only 7% of rural households have clean cooking solutions.
Moving beyond "business as usual" in energy access planning
Current energy planning approaches are often centralised and “top down”, with little participation of those at local level who are intended to use the services (see Zalengera et al, 2020). Planners tend to focus exclusively on energy technology and infrastructure.
This goes against research and experience that shows socio-cultural factors can be “make or break” in the success of an energy service (see Garside, B., Godfrey Wood, R. and Wilson, E., IIED (2012).
There is a knowledge and practice gap in planning energy services to”enable” or help deliver the development needs of communities as part of broader development investments and programmes (Siciliano, G. 2021; Dominguez, C. et al.,2021 and Castan Broto, V. et al, 2024).
Equally, the “development dividend” of energy access cannot be realised without other forms of support (SEforALL and Power for All, 2017); and Bonan, J. et al., 2017).
There is an urgent need for more inclusive and cross-sectoral energy planning approaches that integrates energy services with other support as part of development and climate programming.
What is the EDM planning approach and why was it developed?
The Energy Delivery Models (EDM) approach is an inclusive and cross-sectoral planning approach. It designs holistic development solutions, enabled by energy services, to meet the needs of communities in different contexts.
The approach was initally developed by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and local partners in response to learning on challenges in energy access programming. EDM is now a partnership between IIED and the STEER Centre at Loughborough University.