ENERGY WITHIN REACH

The proposal outlines a strategy to provide electricity to millions in sub-Saharan Africa and India using a modular 'solar energy ladder' that progresses from lanterns to microgrids. It aims to prevent carbon emissions and coal plant expansion while stimulating economic growth through standardized design, large-scale procurement, and innovative financing.

• Approximately 1.3 billion people globally lack basic electricity access, with 900 million of those located in India and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Population growth is expected to nearly offset electricity gains by 2030; while 1.7 billion people may gain access, population growth is forecasted at 1.4 billion.
• The 'Energy Within Reach' initiative targets providing energy access to 15 million people in Africa and India over three years, which is estimated to prevent 6 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
• Scaling the initiative to reach 360 million people could prevent the construction of 35 coal-fired power plants (10.5 GW capacity) and avoid up to 145 million metric tons of carbon emissions by 2025.
• The proposed 'solar energy ladder' approach focuses on modular and interoperable systems that allow users to migrate from solar lanterns and home systems to mini and microgrids.
• The project's implementation strategy relies on four pillars: standardized design to lower costs, large-scale procurement to reduce supply chain inefficiencies, multilateral financing mechanisms, and scalable deployment models.
• The total budget for the initial phases and final implementation is approximately $27.8 million, with 50% of the grant budget dedicated to product delivery in real-world conditions.

APA

RMI (n.d.). ENERGY WITHIN REACH. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2015-11_EnergyWithinReach.pdf

Chicago

RMI. ENERGY WITHIN REACH. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2015-11_EnergyWithinReach.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=ENERGY WITHIN REACH |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2015-11_EnergyWithinReach.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindenergy, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{ENERGY WITHIN REACH}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2015-11_EnergyWithinReach.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }