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The 'Cooling for All Needs Assessment' working paper argues that traditional equipment-based projections of cooling demand are insufficient because they rely on unreliable data and ignore the actual social and community needs of vulnerable populations. Instead, it proposes a needs-based approach aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to identify gaps in human comfort, food security, and health services. The framework aims to help policymakers reduce energy demand through passive design and behavioral change, identify sustainable technologies, and align finance with outcome-based interventions to mitigate the climate and energy impacts of rising cooling demand.

The 2019 report 'Chilling Prospects' tracks the progress of sustainable cooling access, noting that 1.05 billion people remain at high risk due to lack of cooling. It highlights the development of National Cooling Plans in China and India and introduces the 'Cooling for All Needs Assessment' to move beyond equipment-based projections toward a holistic approach covering human safety, food security, and health services. The report emphasizes the risk posed by the 2.2 billion lower-middle income people who may adopt inefficient cooling devices, increasing GHG emissions.

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 financing reached a record $36 billion in 2017, only about one-third benefited households, and clean cooking finance plummeted by 73% compared to 2015-2016. It highlights severe underinvestment in Sub-Saharan Africa and for vulnerable groups, while suggesting innovative financial mechanisms like results-based financing and crowdfunding to bridge the gap.

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.

The document reports that 1.05 billion people remained at the highest risk of cooling insecurity in 2019, down from 1.1 billion in 2018. It identifies the 'Critical 9' countries with the largest populations at high risk, including India, China, and Nigeria, and notes that China and India have already developed National Cooling Plans, while Brazil, Nigeria, and Bangladesh are currently developing them.

Madagascar faces a significant energy access gap, with grid expansion stagnating and clean cooking adoption among the lowest in Africa. To reach SDG7 by 2030, the country requires approximately USD 2.4 billion in total financing for off-grid electricity and improved cooking solutions. While stand-alone solar is the primary driver for electrification, reaching 84.8% of households requires USD 1.8 billion, including USD 662 million to address affordability gaps. Mini-grids are projected to reach 1.4% of households with USD 92 million in financing. In the clean cooking sector, 99% of households lack clean solutions; achieving universal access via industrial improved cookstoves (ICS) requires USD 148 million for enterprises and USD 217 million for affordability gap financing.

The Philippines has achieved nearly 90% household electrification, but reaching universal access by 2030 requires accelerating grid and off-grid technologies. Mini-grids and stand-alone solar are critical for the remotest areas, with a combined financing need of USD 1.25 billion for off-grid solar technologies. The clean cooking sector lacks a formal government policy, with 72% of households lacking full access. Achieving clean cooking targets will require USD 303 million in enterprise financing and USD 220 million in affordability gap financing for improved cookstoves (ICS). Key barriers include bureaucratic registration processes for energy providers, a lack of specific clean cooking targets, and limited local project-based financing for SMEs.

Uganda's energy access landscape is characterized by a 62% electricity access deficit and a high reliance on biomass for cooking (95%). To reach universal access by 2030, the report forecasts a need for USD 2.3 billion for off-grid electricity and improved cooking solutions. This includes USD 1.43 billion for stand-alone solar, USD 51 million for mini-grids, and USD 193 million for industrial cookstove enterprises, alongside significant affordability gap financing for consumers. Key barriers include unclear regulatory frameworks for mini-grids, a lack of quality standards for solar products, and high upfront costs for clean cooking technologies.

The world is making progress toward SDG 7 but is not on track to meet 2030 targets at current ambition levels. While electricity access has expanded significantly, particularly in India, Bangladesh, and Kenya, Sub-Saharan Africa still faces a massive deficit. Clean cooking access is lagging due to population growth, and while renewable energy and energy efficiency are improving, they remain below the required rates to meet 2030 goals. Achieving these targets will require a substantial increase in annual investments across all three areas.

The report identifies that 1.05 billion people remain at high risk due to a lack of cooling access, while another 2.2 billion are at risk of adopting inefficient cooling technologies. It advocates for a shift from equipment-based projections to a needs-based assessment covering thermal comfort, food security, and medical cold chains. Key progress is noted in the development of National Cooling Plans in India, China, and Rwanda, alongside the launch of the Cool Coalition and innovative financing models like Cooling as a Service (CaaS).

The report identifies a total financing need of USD 6.4 billion by 2030 for off-grid electricity and clean cooking solutions across Madagascar, the Philippines, and Uganda. It breaks down these needs into grants, equity, debt, and affordability gap financing, while analyzing the specific roles of mini-grids, stand-alone solar, and improved cookstoves in each national context.

Finance for energy access in 20 high-impact countries remains significantly below the levels required to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 by 2030. While electricity finance reached a peak of USD 36 billion in 2017, only one-third benefited residential users. Clean cooking finance saw a dramatic 73% drop in 2017 compared to the 2015-16 average. The report highlights a critical under-investment in Sub-Saharan Africa and a reliance on large-scale grid projects over decentralized solutions. It also examines the specific barriers faced by women and displaced persons and explores innovative financing mechanisms like Result Based Financing and securitization to bridge the investment gap.

The report analyzes the sustainability of off-grid solar PV systems in public health and education facilities across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Using a framework based on three pillars—organizational, technical, and economic sustainability—and four project lifecycle phases, it examines seven retrospective case studies and several emerging and hypothetical models. Key findings highlight that many systems fail within 3–5 years due to a lack of long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) planning, insufficient funding for component replacement (especially batteries), and a tendency to devolve responsibility to under-resourced local actors. The report argues that sustainability requires aligning public and private incentives, securing lifetime funding upfront, and utilizing centralized O&M management or performance-based private contracts to avoid the 'responsibility vacuum' that often occurs after initial project funding ends.

The document highlights Rwanda's approach to expanding clean cooking access amidst a regional trend in Sub-Saharan Africa where the number of people without such access has increased by 275 million. It notes that 860 million people in the region, or approximately 70 percent of Africa's population, lack clean cooking, which negatively impacts health, productivity, and gender equality. Furthermore, it reports a decline in clean cooking finance from USD 32 million in 2013-14 to USD 30 million in 2015-16, far below the USD 4.4 billion annual investment required by 2030.

The author calls on governments to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to address the cooling sector's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. With cooling-related CO2 emissions projected to rise from 8% to 15% by 2050, the document emphasizes the need for low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants and energy-efficient equipment to avoid a vicious cycle of increasing cooling demand and global warming.

JUMEME is deploying a solar mini-grid model in Tanzania that combines electricity provision with local business development, specifically through its 'KeyMaker Model' which leverages local resources like tilapia fishing to create sustainable revenue streams. Following a successful pilot on Ukara Island, the company is expanding to 11 mini-grids by the end of 2018, with long-term goals of 300 mini-grids serving one million people.

The author asserts that energy efficiency is a critical, underutilized tool for reducing global CO2 emissions and enhancing the reliability of renewable energy. By utilizing existing technologies such as thermal storage and district heating, the global energy system can become more flexible and cost-effective, as the cheapest energy is that which is not consumed.

This report quantifies the global cooling access challenge, finding that 1.1 billion people in 52 vulnerable countries face risks, including 470 million in rural areas and 630 million in urban slums.