How can we pick up the pace in expanding access to electricity, clean water and safe sanitation globally?

The SEI Initiative on Gridless Solutions examines decentralized, modular technologies as complements to grid-based systems for basic services. While innovation has accelerated, the initiative identifies significant barriers to expansion, including regulatory mismatches, lack of financing, and a poor understanding of end-user expectations. The program focuses on mapping value chains, analyzing the politics of decentralized electricity in East Africa, studying off-grid sanitation in Latin America, and exploring disaster risk management in Small Island Development States. Additionally, the sWASH & grow project evaluates success factors for scaling off-grid water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) innovations.

• Decentralized, modular "gridless" technologies are viewed as valuable complements to traditional grid-based systems for providing electricity, water, and sanitation services.
• Despite technological promise, the expansion of gridless solutions is hindered by regulatory issues, a lack of sustainable business models and financing, and insufficient knowledge of end-user expectations.
• The SEI Initiative is conducting targeted research in specific regions: East Africa for the politics of solar PV mini-grids, Latin America for off-grid sanitation alternatives, and Small Island Development States for disaster risk management using gridless technologies.
• Gridless value chains differ from traditional utilities by prioritizing mass manufacturing, standardization, and economies of numbers over onsite construction and bespoke design.

APA

Olsson, O., & Barquet, K. (2020). How can we pick up the pace in expanding access to electricity, clean water and safe sanitation globally? Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sei-initiative-on-gridless-solutions-fact-sheet.pdf

Chicago

Olsson, Olle, and Karina Barquet. How can we pick up the pace in expanding access to electricity, clean water and safe sanitation globally? Stockholm Environment Institute, 2020. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sei-initiative-on-gridless-solutions-fact-sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Olsson |first1=Olle |last2=Barquet |first2=Karina |title=How can we pick up the pace in expanding access to electricity, clean water and safe sanitation globally? |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=December 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sei-initiative-on-gridless-solutions-fact-sheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{olsson2020how, author = {Olsson, Olle and Barquet, Karina}, title = {{How can we pick up the pace in expanding access to electricity, clean water and safe sanitation globally?}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sei-initiative-on-gridless-solutions-fact-sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }