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The report finds that global financial commitments for energy access are insufficient, with electricity funding reaching only about half of the required USD 52 billion annually and clean cooking funding remaining abysmal. While electricity finance increased to USD 30.2 billion per year in 20 high-impact countries, it is heavily concentrated in Asia, particularly India, while Sub-Saharan Africa has seen declines. Investment is skewed toward grid-connected technologies, including a doubling of coal plant financing, while off-grid solutions receive only 1.3% of total funds. Clean cooking finance dropped 5% to USD 30 million per year, far below the USD 4.4 billion needed. Case studies highlight India's success in mobilizing private finance for renewables and Indonesia's use of government subsidies to scale LPG adoption.

Black carbon (BC), or soot, is a potent short-lived climate pollutant resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It causes significant respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, contributing to millions of excess deaths annually, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Economically, BC exposure and reliance on unclean cooking fuels cause trillions of dollars in losses. Climatically, BC warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar energy and accelerates ice melt in the Arctic and Himalayas by reducing albedo. The report argues that reducing BC emissions—especially through clean cooking fuels in sub-Saharan Africa and transportation improvements in urban areas—would prevent millions of premature deaths, reduce deforestation, and help limit global warming to 1.5°C.

The document outlines systemic financing barriers in Africa, noting that climate tech start-ups, nature-based enterprises, and women entrepreneurs—particularly in Francophone West Africa—struggle to access necessary investment. It highlights that Africa receives only 6% of global biodiversity funding and that in Senegal, only 3.5% of women entrepreneurs access formal finance. A specific case study focuses on Saglan Wajee General Hospital in Ethiopia, which, supported by FSD Africa's BimaLab, launched 'Efoy', a micro-health insurance product. Efoy 1.0 attracted over 1,200 customers in its first year, and the subsequent Efoy 2.0 has reached 900 new clients, providing affordable coverage for low- and middle-income families.

The report finds that gas projects in low- and middle-income countries receive four times more international public finance than wind or solar, despite renewable alternatives being cheaper or expected to be soon. It argues that gas expansion is inconsistent with IPCC 1.5°C scenarios, which project a 55% decline in global gas consumption by 2050. Through case studies of Argentina, Egypt, and India, the report highlights risks such as asset stranding and debt, recommending that international public finance cease supporting fossil fuels and instead focus on enabling renewable energy systems.

Geres advocates for a holistic approach to universal energy access that moves beyond binary measurements to ensure high-quality, affordable, and reliable energy services. The organization focuses on the 'base of the pyramid' (BoP), integrating renewable energy deployment with energy sobriety and efficiency to avoid environmental degradation. Key operational models include Green Business Areas (GBAs) to foster rural entrepreneurship and the promotion of energy-efficient cooking and cooling solutions. Geres emphasizes capacity-building, gender equality, and the use of social enterprises to ensure the long-term sustainability and scalability of energy projects in rural and peri-urban areas.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of India's decentralised renewable energy (DRE) landscape, detailing deployment statistics, government schemes, and the role of R&D in driving innovation. It highlights the transition of DRE from basic lighting to productive livelihood applications and identifies 'weak-grid' areas as a significant growth market. The document emphasizes the necessity of harmonized international standards to prevent market spoilage and facilitate global trade. It also showcases the 'transformational journeys' of Indian companies expanding into Sub-Saharan Africa, leveraging digital technologies like Pay-as-you-Go (PayG) and standardized mini-grid models to address energy poverty.

The document details SEforALL's five-outcome Theory of Change aimed at achieving SDG7 through gender-sensitive action, global commitments, policy standards, financial mobilization, and direct energy installations. It reports cumulative results including the leveraging of 3.6 billion USD directly and 2.7 billion USD indirectly for energy access and clean energy transitions.

The Global Tracking Framework establishes a baseline and monitoring system for the SE4ALL 2030 goals. While the world saw significant gains between 1990 and 2010, population and economic growth have diluted these impacts, making 'business as usual' insufficient. Achieving the goals will require an additional $600–800 billion in annual investment, bold policy shifts such as phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and critical progress in 'high-impact' countries, particularly China and India.

The report 'Taking the Pulse 2019' identifies a total financing need of $6.4 billion by 2030 to achieve SDG 7 in Madagascar, the Philippines, and Uganda. It breaks down these needs by technology—mini-grids, standalone solar systems, and improved cookstoves—and by capital type, including grants, equity, debt, and affordability gap funding. The analysis highlights that while grid electrification remains important, off-grid solutions are essential for reaching isolated populations. The report provides specific projections for each country, noting that Uganda has seen success in standalone solar, the Philippines relies heavily on mini-grids due to its geography, and Madagascar faces severe infrastructure and affordability challenges. It concludes with policy recommendations for development partners, governments, and investors to mobilize the necessary capital and create enabling regulatory environments.

This case study describes the Malawi Energy Compact, which aims to provide the entire population of 25 million people with access to climate-friendly, energy-saving, or cleaner cooking solutions by 2030, with a long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The report evaluates Brazil's 'Energy Safety Nets,' focusing on electricity access and clean cooking. It finds that while Luz para Todos has nearly achieved universal electricity access and Tarifa Social supports basic consumption for the poorest, Bolsa Família is less effective for clean cooking due to non-earmarked funds and rising LPG costs. The study recommends earmarked LPG vouchers, expanded eligibility for electricity subsidies, and a gender-sensitive approach to energy policy.

The report examines Indonesia's transition from universal energy subsidies to targeted Energy Safety Nets (ESNs) for electricity and LPG. While electrification rates reached 98.81% by early 2019, significant gaps persist in eastern regions like Papua and Maluku due to infrastructure deficits. The study highlights the role of the Unified Database System (BDT) in targeting beneficiaries and the success of the kerosene-to-LPG conversion program, which reached 54 million households by 2012. However, it finds that energy reforms have been primarily driven by fiscal pressure rather than universal access goals, leading to a 'left-out sub-population' in remote areas and a widening consumption gap between the rich and poor.

The report analyzes four Energy Safety Nets in Mexico: differentiated electricity tariffs, Oportunidades Energéticas, the Fondo de Servicio Universal Eléctrico (FSUE), and a pilot program for subsidized LPG. It finds that while electricity tariffs provide broad support, they are inefficiently targeted. Other targeted programs, such as Oportunidades Energéticas and the LPG pilot, were short-lived and lacked significant impact on shifting households to cleaner fuels. The FSUE has provided thousands of connections but faces data gaps and is currently on hold. The study recommends targeting electricity subsidies using social assistance registers and expanding the FSUE to include clean cooking technologies.

The document defines Energy Safety Nets (ESNs) as government-led approaches to close the affordability gap for essential energy services, including electricity and clean cooking fuels. It distinguishes between ESNs for physical connections (one-off transfers) and those for ongoing consumption (recurring transfers). The guide outlines various targeting methods—geographic, social, economic, and demographic—and delivery mechanisms such as cash transfers, vouchers, and reduced tariffs. It emphasizes the need for gender-responsive design, robust evaluation, and high-level policy coordination to achieve universal energy access as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 7.

The document provides a comprehensive framework of indicators designed to measure gender equality within the energy sector. It categorizes these indicators into three work streams: general gender equality, social inclusion/equity policies, and energy-specific impacts. The paper maps available data from sources such as the World Bank, ILO, and OECD, while highlighting significant data gaps in gender-disaggregated energy access and the specific time-use burdens of women in fuel collection and cooking.

The report argues that electrification and clean cooking have historically been treated as separate sectors, leading to inefficient energy planning. It advocates for 'integrated energy planning' that leverages the synergies between electricity access and eCooking to accelerate the transition away from biomass. The document reviews various modelling approaches—including energy system planning, sub-sector planning, and geospatial energy access planning—and highlights the Integrated Clean Cooking Plan Tool (ICCPT) in Rwanda as a significant methodological advance. It also details the policy, financial, and data requirements necessary to operationalize these plans, such as eCooking tariffs, results-based financing, and digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) for carbon finance.

The Sierra Leone Energy Transition and Green Growth Plan outlines a pathway to 100% electrification and clean cooking by 2040. The plan emphasizes a shift from biomass and oil toward hydropower and solar PV, requiring an estimated USD 6.5 billion in capital investment by 2040 and a cumulative USD 15 billion by 2050. Key targets include deploying 745 MW of large hydropower and 932 MW of solar PV by 2040, while integrating electric mobility and green hydrogen by 2050. The transition is expected to double energy-sector jobs to 29,117 by 2050 and support national goals such as the Feed Salone strategy and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The report examines the 'gender-energy nexus' in the era of AI, highlighting how the digital gender divide and energy poverty disproportionately affect women. It identifies critical challenges, including gender bias in AI development, a deficit of sex-disaggregated energy data, and the risk of AI data centres diverting resources from low-income communities. The authors argue that while AI can optimize energy systems, its current development lacks gender diversity and funding for SDG5 (Gender Equality). The report recommends increasing women's representation in STEM, implementing gender-lens investing, and ensuring women are decision-makers in AI and energy policy to achieve a just transition.

The report assesses the current state of cooking energy in Madagascar, where over 80% of rural households rely on wood and over 60% of urban households use charcoal. It models a 'Base Scenario' aligned with national policy and a 'Universal Access Scenario' aligned with SDG7, estimating the fuel production potential for bioethanol, biogas, and pellets. The analysis highlights that while bio-fuels have significant potential without impacting food security, the primary barrier to adoption is the cost of fuel, which represents 97.1% of transition costs. Transitioning to clean cooking could reduce residential energy consumption by up to 65% and prevent thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution by 2030.

The document serves as a career manual for students and young professionals entering the sustainable energy sector. It outlines various professional pathways—including engineering, policy, finance, and data science—and provides a detailed breakdown of the internal and external teams at SEforALL. The guide emphasizes the need for both technical STEM qualifications and soft skills like adaptability and communication to support the achievement of SDG7 and the Paris Agreement. It also details SEforALL's inclusive, remote recruitment process and its commitment to increasing the participation of women and youth in the green economy.