Publication date: 2017
Author: PBL Netherlands Environmental Agency
Description: With the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has committed to achieving universal electricity access by 2030. This study analyses the technology and investment requirements for achieving this target in Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, it discusses the role of climate change mitigation policy, as well as key issues for driving the transition.
Achieving the target of universal electricity access requires significant expansion of generation capacity and transmission and distribution networks. Grid-based electrification is only attractive for densely populated areas with an expected high demand for electricity, and/or for locations within reasonable distance from the existing grid. For the many households in poor and sparsely populated rural areas far from the existing grid, mini-grids and stand-alone systems play a vital role in the provision of electricity.
