Tag Archives: DRE

Tracking SDG 7 – The Energy Progress Report 2025

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Highlights

  • In 2023, the number of new electricity connections outpaced population growth, increasing global access to electricity to 92%. While this means 19 million fewer people are without electricity compared to the previous year, 666 million people are still without power. In addition, this rate of growth is not fast enough to ensure universal access to electricity by 2030.
  • 85% of the world’s population without electricity lives in Sub-Saharan Africa, up from 50% in 2010. In 2023, 35 million people in this region got electricity, but due to population growth, the number of people without electricity only decreased by 5 million, from 570 million in 2022 to 565 million in 2023.
  • Most people without electricity live in remote areas, places facing conflict or violence, and low-income regions, making it hard to expand the electricity grid. However, new technologies and business models for decentralized renewable energy (DRE) – such as solar home systems and solar mini grids- offer flexible solutions for these areas. These solutions are expected to help over 561 million people worldwide in 2023, and they provided 55% of new electricity connections in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2020 to 2022.
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World Bank Group Announces Major Initiative to Electrify Sub-Saharan Africa with Distributed Renewable Energy

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Initiative will use solar off-grid, mini-grids and other means to promote universal access to electricity

Washington, Nov. 9, 2022—The World Bank Group announced today an innovative initiative to accelerate the pace of electrification in Africa to achieve universal access by 2030. The World Bank, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and other development agencies will promote private investment in distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems to electrify targeted areas quickly and efficiently. The Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up Platform (DARES) calls for joint action by government, private investors, and development agencies to solve Africa’s immediate needs while developing DRE solutions that can be applied globally.

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