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Rwanda has significantly improved its electricity access and investment landscape through robust policy frameworks, including the expansion of off-grid solutions and the restructuring of utilities. While the country has seen rapid progress in electrification rates and the attraction of private investment, it still faces challenges in energy efficiency, gender mainstreaming, and the inclusion of informal settlers in its energy plans.

The report finds that energy access finance remains critically below the levels needed for SDG7, with a significant mismatch between where finance is committed and where the need is greatest. While electricity finance increased to USD 43.6 billion in 2018, much of this was driven by fossil fuel projects in a few countries, while Sub-Saharan Africa remains chronically underfunded. Clean cooking finance is even more limited, dominated by a few large projects in Bangladesh. The report advocates for a shift toward renewable energy, the termination of fossil fuel financing, and the adoption of innovative business models and gender-responsive tracking methodologies.

The report identifies solar hybrid mini-grids as the fastest-growing segment of the decentralized energy market, noting that they could serve approximately 111 million households in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and small island states by 2030. While technical costs are decreasing due to solar and battery advancements, the market faces significant hurdles including limited consumer paying capacity, ambiguous rural electrification policies, and a heavy reliance on public grants over commercial financing. The document advocates for results-based financing (RBF), flexible tariff regulations, and clear legal protections for mini-grid assets against the arrival of the main grid to attract private investment.

SEforALL's 100 Days Report details the organization's efforts to integrate sustainable energy into COVID-19 recovery plans through 'Recover Better' guides for Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. The report highlights the pandemic's severe impact on the off-grid sector, where surveyed companies expect revenue losses between 27% and 40%. It also outlines the launch of the 'Powering Healthcare' resource hub and the 'Chilling Prospects 2020' report, which identifies that 1.02 billion people lack cooling access. Strategically, SEforALL has approved a new Three-Year Business Plan (2021-2023) focusing on high-level advocacy and country-specific implementation across four thematic areas: Energy Diplomacy and Advocacy, Energy Access and Closing the Gap, Energy Transitions and Climate, and Intersection with other SDGs.

The project utilizes 'Down Draft Gasification' technology to convert bamboo into electricity for 1,250 households in Mentawai, Indonesia. Funded primarily by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the project employs a business model involving a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with the state-owned utility PLN and a 20-year Feedstock Supply Agreement with local villages. The initiative has created approximately 450 jobs and aims to expand to 50 MW of capacity across Mentawai, eastern Indonesia, and Nias within five years.

The report identifies a significant economic opportunity for undergrid minigrids in Nigeria, potentially saving distribution companies $30–60 million annually and generating $1 billion in annual revenue for operators. It proposes four business models—operator-led, SPV-led, cooperative-led, and collaborative SPV-led—to facilitate development and suggests that proof-of-concept projects in Nigeria could enable global scaling in areas where utilities cannot fully serve customers.

The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), in collaboration with AMDA, Smart Power India, and Swedfund, launched the Consumer Protection Principles for Clean Energy Mini-Grids in October 2019. These principles establish minimum standards of practice across six key areas: quality consumer care, supply quality and safety, fair contracting and billing, data privacy, professional organisation, and social measures. The framework allows mini-grid companies, investors, and governments to either 'endorse' the principles as a goal for alignment or 'commit' to them as an embodiment of their daily operations.

The document introduces Integrated Electrification Pathways (IEP) as a systemic approach to planning electricity access. It argues that relying on a single technology is insufficient and advocates for a complementary mix of centralized grids and decentralized solutions (mini-grids and off-grid systems) tailored to human needs and socio-economic development. The guide outlines four key characteristics of IEPs—focus on sustainable development, technological inclusivity, high-level political coordination, and market-enabling support—and provides a five-step planning process involving coordination bodies, expert engagement, geospatial data modeling, regulatory reform, and financial mobilization.

The document argues that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 requires a shift from fragmented electrification efforts to Integrated Electrification Pathways (IEPs). IEPs are defined as inclusive planning approaches that leverage a mix of grid, mini-grid, and off-grid technologies based on human needs and sustainable development goals. The guide outlines four key features of IEPs—contextualizing access within human needs, considering all technological delivery models, securing high-level political commitment, and implementing market-enabling policies—and provides a five-step planning process. This process includes establishing a coordinating body, engaging experts, utilizing geospatial data and modeling tools, developing supportive regulations, and mobilizing diverse finance to support both developers and consumers.

XacBank LLC is seeking USD 914,425 from the Green Climate Fund to prepare a comprehensive funding proposal for a mini-grid system in Ulaanbaatar's ger areas. The project aims to address air pollution and utility inadequacies caused by coal-based heating and lack of sanitation. The requested PPF funding will support technical feasibility studies, financial and legal structuring, environmental and social impact assessments, and market analysis over a 14-month period.

Kivu Green Energy (KGE) is deploying solar PV and storage mini-grids in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to replace expensive and unreliable diesel generation. Operating in challenging environments like North Kivu, KGE provides electricity to homes, businesses, and humanitarian organizations. The company aims to scale its capacity from a 1.3MW project in Goma to 1 GW by 2033 to serve 5 million urban customers, supported by the Energy Access Booster award.

The document discusses the economic challenges of deploying clean energy mini-grids in Africa, noting high upfront costs and low revenues from poor customers. It aims to provide policymakers and donors with a toolkit of retail tariff and subsidy options to make mini-grids more profitable and sustainable for private investors.

The document examines the 'viability gap' in mini-grid business models, where high capital costs and low-revenue customer bases make private investment challenging. It outlines various retail tariff approaches—ranging from uniform national tariffs to value-based pricing—and details subsidy structures, emphasizing output-based capital subsidies for distribution. The guide provides specific country examples from Africa and Asia and offers management considerations to reduce policy uncertainty and administrative overhead for developers.

The report provides a gender context analysis and a strategic framework to integrate gender perspectives into the 'Green Energy Services for Communities in Rural Mali' project. It identifies that rural women in Mali face significant energy poverty and a heavy domestic workload due to reliance on biomass, which contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. The plan proposes specific actions across three project components: capacity building for institutions, installation of solar-powered minigrids, and support for the productive use of electricity. Key objectives include improving women's participation in decision-making, providing solar equipment for income-generating activities (such as motor pumps and dryers), and establishing a gender-responsive monitoring and evaluation system with sex-disaggregated data.

The report finds that while electricity finance in 20 high-impact countries reached a record USD 36 billion in 2017, it remains far below the USD 51 billion annual requirement for universal household access. Clean cooking finance saw a critical decline, dropping 73 percent in 2017 compared to the 2015-16 period. The analysis highlights a systemic failure to direct funds toward the most vulnerable, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and emphasizes the need for innovative financing mechanisms like results-based financing and pay-per-service models to bridge the gap.

The report finds that while electricity finance reached a high of USD 36 billion in 2017, only one-third benefited residential users, and clean cooking finance plummeted by 73% compared to 2015-16. It highlights severe underinvestment in Sub-Saharan Africa and the need for innovative financing to reach vulnerable groups, including women and displaced persons.

The 2019 SEforALL Charrettes brought together diverse stakeholders in Amsterdam to address systemic barriers to SDG7. The resulting report outlines proposed solutions across four key areas: creating a viable private sector market for clean cooking, improving data and evidence for electrification, bridging the finance gap in high-impact countries, and increasing risk appetite for last-mile electricity access.

The report finds that Madagascar faces significant energy deficits, with grid expansion stagnating at 11.4% since 2010. To reach universal access by 2030, the document argues that a shift toward decentralized solar and mini-grids is essential, requiring a total investment of 2.3 billion dollars for off-grid electricity and improved cooking solutions. Key barriers include the low purchasing power of rural households, a lack of quality standards for solar products, and a heavy reliance on traditional biomass for cooking.

The report finds that USD 6.4 billion in total financing is required by 2030 to close the energy access gap in Madagascar, the Philippines, and Uganda. This includes USD 1.8 billion specifically for affordability gap financing. The analysis highlights a heavy reliance on stand-alone solar to reach the 'last mile' in Madagascar and Uganda, while the Philippines leverages a more advanced mini-grid sector. Across all three countries, the transition to clean cooking remains a significant challenge due to low adoption of industrial improved cookstoves (ICS) and high upfront costs for clean fuels like LPG.

The report finds that while electricity finance reached a record USD 36 billion in 2017, it remains far below the USD 51 billion annual requirement for universal household access, with only one-third benefiting residential users. Clean cooking finance saw a severe decline, dropping 73 percent to USD 32 million in 2017. Sub-Saharan Africa remains critically under-invested, and the report highlights a lack of targeted funding for vulnerable groups, particularly women and displaced persons.