Energy Within Reach

This briefing by RMI argues that decentralized solar energy is the most viable path to providing electricity access to the 1.3 billion people currently without it, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa and India, while avoiding a projected 141-percent increase in carbon emissions by 2040 that would result from coal-fired power plants.

• Approximately 1.3 billion people globally lack basic electricity access, with 900 million of those located in India and sub-Saharan Africa. While 1.7 billion people are expected to gain access by 2030, population growth of 1.4 billion is expected to virtually negate these gains.
• The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook predicts divergent trends for electricity access: the number of people without access in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to increase from 600 to 645 million, while in India, it is estimated to decrease from 300 to 147 million.
• Relying on coal-fired power plants and grid expansion to meet energy needs would lead to a projected 141-percent increase in carbon emissions for these regions by 2040. Decentralized solar energy—ranging from lanterns and home systems to mini and microgrids—is proposed as a scalable, low-carbon alternative that supports economic growth and avoids the health risks of kerosene lamps and fossil fuels.

APA

RMI (2015). Energy Within Reach. https://rmi.org/resources/energy-within-reach-2015/

Chicago

RMI. Energy Within Reach. 2015. https://rmi.org/resources/energy-within-reach-2015/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Energy Within Reach |date=17 May 2015 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/energy-within-reach-2015/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2015energy, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Energy Within Reach}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/energy-within-reach-2015/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }