As part of its commitment to providing clean energy policy resources to policymakers in developing countries, the Clean Energy Solutions Center has published Policies to Spur Energy Access, a comprehensive report produced jointly with the International Institute for Environment and Development. The report features contributions by several international experts and draws from a wide range of direct interviews and recently published reports.

Over 100 countries are partnering with the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative to meet the sustainable development goal of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. The International Energy Agency estimates decentralized energy solutions will be the pathway to energy access for the majority of the over 1 billion people still without electricity.

The Solutions Center’s “Policies to Spur Energy Access” reveals policy options for developing countries to engage the private sector in creating market solutions to energy access. The report discusses the regulatory and policy frameworks that can enable decentralized solutions and attract private sector investment. The report also notes that creating a robust market for energy services requires policymakers to address broader market issues. Policymakers can catalyze private financing and build human capacity to meet the needs of an emerging market. Because energy access impacts a wide range of development goals—health, education, agriculture and the environment—integrating the efforts of various public ministries can streamline energy access and leverage wider resources.

The second part of this two-volume report includes in-depth case studies of public-private programs for financing energy access in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mali, Mexico and Nepal. The case studies focus on the policy decisions that underpin each program and their impact on energy access for underserved populations.

Along with this report, the Solutions Center has engaged additional international experts on energy access to offer assistance to policymakers.

For expert assistance on these and other clean energy policy issues at no cost, visit cleanenergysolutions.org/expert. For further information about the Solutions Center and its services, visit cleanenergysolutions.org.