Power for All

In this episode, Gillian-Alexandre Huart, the first CEO of ENGIE Energy Access, a new energy unit launched by ENGIE, speaks about creating an integrated business model that can bring together solar home systems, minigrids and national distribution. ENGIE, one of the world's largest energy companies, has been a leader in pushing for rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, through its...

In this podcast, Shonali Pachauri, Acting Program Director of the Transitions to New Technologies at IIASA in Austria discusses a new framework to measure energy poverty developed by her and her colleagues at IIASA that better aligns with services that people lack rather than merely capturing the absence of connections to sources of electricity. This framework distinguishes between two aspects of...

The pandemic has exacerbated severe inequalities in developing countries in terms of access to education. We spoke with UNESCO Regional Director for Southern Africa, Prof. Hubert Gijzen about why advances in off-grid solar technologies are catalytic to ending the digital education divide.

The correlation between energy poverty and food security is self-evident. But less clear are the steps needed to strengthen this critical nexus. We spoke with Power for All's chief of research Dr. Rebekah Shirley to help frame a complex issue, and explore what kind of action and data are needed to align the two development goals.

85% of off-grid solar customers say their financial situation has worsened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one-fifth reported paying for energy as a "heavy burden". We spoke with 60 Decibels director Kat Harrison to understand where things stand, where they are headed and what's at stake.

Africa’s first mini-grids report provides the most comprehensive data on distributed energy minigrids and the sector’s performance to date. Africa Minigrid Developers Association’s CEO explains the essential role of minigrids in the electrification of Africa and spotlights barriers to accelerated growth and what can be done to overcome them.

The winners of the 2020 Ashden Awards will be celebrated virtually on 2 July. Harriet Lamb, Ashden CEO, talks to Power for All about the macro-trends that Ashden has seen over time in energy access innovation.

4 of our original "dream team" -- Christine Eibs Singer, Chiedza Mazaiwana, Aaron Leopold and Charlie Miller -- identify top sector priorities for the next 5 years: consumer subsidy, a public-private "grand bargain", and more. And reminisce about Power for All's early days and its major impact on the fight for universal access.

In an interview with Power for All, Habiba Ali, the dynamic founder and CEO of Nigeria’s SOSAI Renewable Energies, and vice president of the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN), talked about the opportunities and challenges of scaling mini-grids, what’s still needed to ensure the country hits its rural electrification targets, and the importance of getting more women leaders into the de...

Kenya recently took the bold step of including gender equality in its national energy policy. Sheila Oparaocha, the head of Energia, says it's time for such policies to be adopted by all countries, while also ensuring sustained implementation and accountability.

GIZ, Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI) and the greenwerk recently published the first study to quantify the impact decentralized renewable energy solutions can have in addressing the climate crisis. Distributed energy solutions have largely been absent from the climate discussion, in part because there has been little data. As national governments prepare to update their commitments to emissions redu...

How can commercial and industrial energy users overcome supply-related issues, reliability concerns, and high energy cost? Distributed Power Africa's CEO explains why C&I solar in Africa should be embraced as a key step in the transition to a mature power market.

In conversation with Power for All, Dr. Roberto Ridolfi, special advisor on strategy and finance for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), called for countries to innovate their regulatory approach and reduce red tape and bureaucracy to end food waste.

How can South-South cooperation be scaled up in support of the implementation of SDG7? The Director General of the International Solar Alliance shares insights about ISA’s significance in global deployment of distributed solar energy and its progress to date.