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The 2020 report by Sustainable Energy for All reveals a widening gap between the investment needed and the finance actually committed to achieve universal energy access by 2030. In 2018, only USD 16 billion was tracked for residential electrification against a required USD 41 billion, and clean cooking finance reached USD 131 million, far below the estimated USD 4.53 billion annual need. The report highlights a geographic mismatch, where Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 70% of people in HICs without electricity but received less than 20% of the total electricity access finance. Furthermore, the report notes a concerning trend toward fossil fuel-generated electricity and a lack of private sector investment in clean cooking. It recommends coordinated action from donor governments and DFIs in Sub-Saharan Africa, the termination of fossil fuel project financing, and the adoption of innovative business models for off-grid solutions.

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.

The document outlines the economic and social opportunities for African nations to 'recover better' from the COVID-19 pandemic by prioritizing sustainable energy. It estimates that achieving universal electricity access in Africa by 2030 requires an annual investment of USD 29 billion, while clean cooking solutions require USD 2 billion annually. The guide highlights the GDP and job creation multipliers of clean energy over fossil fuels and provides a framework of eight 'enablers'—including the removal of fossil fuel subsidies and the implementation of cost-reflective tariffs—to facilitate this transition. It uses India as a case study for successful policy implementation in the global south.

The guide identifies significant energy access gaps in South Asia, with 152 million people lacking electricity and 990 million lacking clean cooking as of 2018. It proposes that governments allocate 25% of stimulus budgets to renewables and target 30% localization of clean energy value chains. Key benefits cited include a GDP multiplier where every USD 1 invested in renewables yields USD 0.93 in additional growth, and the creation of 2 to 2.5 times more jobs than fossil fuel investments. The document recommends eight enablers for this transition, including the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, a moratorium on new coal-fired power, and the adoption of cost-reflective tariffs.

The guide outlines opportunities for Southeast Asian nations to 'recover better' from the COVID-19 pandemic by shifting economic stimulus toward sustainable energy. It identifies significant untapped potential in energy efficiency, particularly in buildings and cooling, and advocates for increasing the share of renewable energy in the power mix. The document highlights macroeconomic benefits, including GDP growth and job creation, while proposing eight enablers for a successful transition, such as eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and declaring a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants.

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 2019 Chilling Prospects report identifies that 3.2 billion people in 52 high-risk countries face cooling access challenges, including 1.05 billion facing serious risks in rural areas and urban slums, and 2.2 billion in the developing lower-middle class who rely on inefficient cooling technologies.

The report identifies significant funding gaps for universal energy access, noting that 2017 electricity access finance for new households reached only a quarter of the required annual investment. It highlights critically low investment in Sub-Saharan Africa and a severe shortfall in clean cooking finance, which represents less than 1% of the needed amount. Additionally, it argues that continued investment in fossil fuel power plants is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and the SDGs.

Smiling Through Light is a social enterprise in Sierra Leone that recruits and trains local women to sell solar-powered lamps, addressing a national electricity access rate of 13 percent. Founded by Mariama Kamara, the business aims to transition women from energy consumers to leaders in the energy transition. In 2019, the company created 15 local jobs and sold approximately 700 solar products. The enterprise also launched the 'One Child One Lamp' campaign, providing lighting to about 400 children in Kamayama, which reportedly improved students' grades and safety. Kamara aims to expand the network to 300-500 women within five years and eventually enter Guinea and Liberia, though she notes that scaling is hindered by investor risk aversion toward African entrepreneurs, particularly young women.

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.

The report 'Lasting Impact: Sustainable Off-Grid Solar Delivery Models to Power Health and Education' examines off-grid solar delivery models to determine which approaches support or hinder sustainability in rural health and education sectors. It aims to provide a framework for public and private sector decision-makers to select the most effective electrification models for rural schools and health centers based on their specific country context.

The report highlights the critical need for sustainable cooling to address health, food security, and economic risks affecting billions of people. It identifies a cooling gap impacting approximately 1.1 billion people in extreme heat, while noting that 2.3 billion low-to-middle-income individuals risk driving climate disasters by adopting low-efficiency cooling products. The document advocates for a coordinated approach integrating the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Kigali Amendment to promote high-efficiency technologies, passive cooling, and innovative business models.

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 audit concludes that SEforALL's financial statements for 2018 present fairly its financial position and performance in accordance with voluntarily applied Austrian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The organization reported total revenue of $9,564,445.90 and total expenses of $9,448,366.78 for the period. The auditors found the accounting system compliant with the organization's statutes and noted no material weaknesses in internal controls or doubts regarding the organization's ability to continue as a going concern.

Sunny Irrigation provides affordable, portable solar-powered water pumps to smallholder farmers in Africa, utilizing a pay-as-you-go financing model to overcome high upfront costs. The company integrates geospatial data analytics and plans to implement IoT-based controllers to provide agronomic advice, enabling farmers to grow high-value crops and increase yields. Currently piloting in Kenya, the company targets a potential market of over 10 million farmers across Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

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 Cooling for All Needs Assessment Scorecard is a tool designed to measure access to cooling through specific guiding questions and indicators. It focuses on three key areas: human comfort and safety (addressing heat stress and productivity), food and nutrition security (focusing on agricultural incomes, diet, and cold chain food loss), and health services (evaluating vaccine programs and the security of medical cold chains). The scorecard allows users to track baseline and latest values to determine trends and ratings.