Power to the people

Millions of people around the world don't have access to electricity. But clean energy innovation is leapfrogging power grids and bringing energy where it's needed

In New York, neighbors trading solar energy electrify community
TransActive Grid aims to allow homes and businesses with solar panels and "smart" meters to sell spare electricity to neighbors, rather than simply give it away as they do now By Sebastien Malo | Thu, 30 Mar 2017
How to help business speed up electricity access for the poor
Government policies make a big difference to the development of off-grid power markets in developing nations By Peyton Fleming | Thu, 27 Apr 2017
Solar energy and salt water power vegetable farms in the desert
Agriculture of tomorrow: A Norwegian company is setting up a solar-powered facility to grow vegetables without wasting a drop of fresh water By Umberto Bacchi | Fri, 31 Mar 2017
In energy starved Indian villages, solar mini-grids light the way
Cheaper solar power, plenty of sun and a huge need for electricity in a country with 300 million people still lacking access means solar energy has huge potential By Rina Chandran | Mon, 3 Apr 2017
Beyond light, solar startup seeks to plug in rural homes in Africa
"It is about changing expectations, raising aspirations, and empowering people to become part of the knowledge economy" By Kieran Guilbert | Fri, 7 Apr 2017
From waste to energy: Danish plant flexes the power of wastewater
Investment in new technologies between 2003 and 2016 helped the Marselisborg plant reduce its power consumption by 33 percent By Magdalena Mis | Thu, 6 Apr 2017
Sun-powered micro-grids boost fortunes of Lake Victoria fishermen
With its year-round sunshine, solar power is ideally suited to Kenya where electricity access surged to around 60 percent in 2016 from 27 percent three years before By Moraa Obiria | Tue, 4 Apr 2017
blog Why it’s time to end the myth of the “energy poor”
Electricity is not an unaffordable luxury for rural people - many are willing to pay By Carl Pope | Fri, 31 Mar 2017
Policy makers drag feet on getting electric power to the people
"Every day we delay, or every day we don't deliver, it becomes more painful and expensive, and we risk losing people and leaving people behind" By Megan Rowling | Mon, 3 Apr 2017
Global electricity access growing but gaps need plugging
Urban areas across the world have close to universal access at 96 percent although challenges remain in the rapidly growing cities of Africa and the Asia Pacific By Astrid Zweynert | Mon, 3 Apr 2017
blog Afghan rural patients reap health benefits of clean energy
Solar energy plays a crucial part in healthcare for countries affected by conflict By Peter Stevenson, Mercy Corps/Joe Rafalowicz, Power For All | Mon, 3 Apr 2017
blog Is energy access finance finally ready to flow?
For energy poverty to be eradicated, different “colors of money” - including debt, equity, subsidy and grant - is needed By Christine Eibs Singer, Power for All | Fri, 7 Apr 2017
Waiting for grid to arrive, Myanmar villages switch on solar
Access to electricity from clean sources such as solar and small-scale hydropower changes the centuries-old way of life in rural communities across Myanmar By Thin Lei Win | Thu, 30 Mar 2017
factbox Myanmar plans to boost electricity access with coal
Myanmar's energy plan projects a sharp rise in coal's share of electricity output by 2030 at the expense of environmentally friendly solar By Thin Lei Win | Wed, 29 Mar 2017
Private sector power for refugee camps could light up communities
Refugees worldwide struggle to access energy, and often pay high costs for primitive fuels like firewood By Kieran Guilbert | Tue, 14 Mar 2017
Power-short Zambia launches switch to 100 percent LED bulbs
If all homes and industries switch to LED bulbs, Zambia could save up to 200 megawatts of electricity annually - about 30 percent of its power deficit By Danstan Kaunda | Fri, 31 Mar 2017
blog Can solar pumps give Nepal's women farmers a brighter future?
Giving women loans to buy solar panels for irrigation - and access to land - can help them build resilience to climate change By Alina Paul-Bossuet | Tue, 21 Mar 2017