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03 DISTRIBUTED RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR ENERGY ACCESS
PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENTS
Beyond policy developments of individual countries, dozens of
international actors – including at least 30 programmes and
around 20 global networks – were involved in deploying DRE
in 2015. ( R See Reference Tables R12 and R13.) New major
DRE programmes were announced in 2015, in addition to
the continued operation and expansion of existing ones. Most
programmes focused on the provision of electricity, although
there was notable activity in the cooking and heating sectors.
There also was continued momentum towards partnerships that
involved either supranational actors (such as the United Nations)
or multiple donor countries or sectors supporting a single
programme.
Perhaps the most significant change affecting the global policy
environment relates to the United Nations’ announcement of new
“Sustainable Development Goals” as part of a post-2015 agenda
for development practitioners. Goal 7, adopted as one of the 17
key goals, states that universal access to affordable, reliable and
modern energy services needs to be ensured by 2030, among
other targets. 85 This is in line with the UN’s other major energy
platform, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), which also calls for
universal energy access by 2030. 86
Energising Development (EnDev), an energy access partnership
that is financed by six donor countries, continued its operations
into 2015. 87 Since 2005, EnDev has helped 14.8 million people
obtain sustainable access to modern energy services in Africa,
Asia and Latin America by training 37,000 stove builders,
craftspeople, vendors and solar PV technicians. 88 In support of
the Government of Rwanda’s efforts, EnDev offered a subsidy of
up to 70% on investments in privately owned and operated minigrids
of up to 100 kW. 89
The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) also
continued to expand its reach. PIDG mobilises private sector
investment to assist developing countries in combating poverty,
including through the provision of infrastructure that is vital to
boosting economic growth. 90 From 2010 to 2015, it supported
over 1,000 micro- and small-scale enterprises, 900 of which are
actively delivering products and services to their communities.
PIDG created approximately 3,000 jobs; reached over 4 million
beneficiaries with energy products and services, such as
improved cook stoves, briquettes, solar phone charging and
solar lighting; and changed how small enterprises do business
through enterprise-to-enterprise linkages, marketing and
promotional events, business planning, product improvement
and standardisation. 91
In 2015, the United States continued its commitments to DRE
systems through a variety of programmes and agencies. Two years
after its original launch, Power Africa – a partnership between
the US government, African governments, multilateral and
bilateral partners, and the private sector – announced expanded
commitments to increase generating capacity and electricity
access across sub-Saharan Africa. OPIC mobilised an additional
USD 1.4 billion in private capital directed at energy access
projects in Africa and announced an additional USD 1 billion
commitment through 2018. 92 In addition, USAID placed more
than 25 advisors across sub-Saharan Africa to advance power
sector transactions and provide technical assistance to improve
the enabling environment for private sector investment. 93
Electricity was not the only area that saw activity. The Global
Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC) had provided improved
stoves to an estimated 24 million households – most of which
are fuelled by renewable energy (although some by liquefied
petroleum gas) – by the time it celebrated its five-year anniversary
96