2bn people live without reliable electricity globally. More than 1.1bn, predominantly rural dwellers, live without power altogether. Innovative technology and business models can deliver the access to energy required to drive improvements in health, education, productivity and income.
The off-grid household energy market has grown from less than 10 players operating 10 years ago to over 100 certified providers that serve 200m people today, having attracted over $1 billion in investment.
However, at the current level of financing and new connections, UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all – will be missed by more than 100 million households in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
SF believes that several sector-level interventions are needed that enable businesses to deliver meaningful contributions to SDG7, and so we support a blend of pioneering product and service providers, as well as industry associations and non-profit market institutions to address barriers and enable deeper market penetration.
From the very outset of Shell Foundation, we have also looked at the development challenge of moving people efficiently and transporting goods.
Why Mobility?