Communities in Africa have generally contributed the least to climate change, been undermined the most by international trade and finance policies, and have a right to better international support for distributed renewable energy. In order to reach universal energy access before the 2030 target set by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, international public finance institutions have an urgent responsibility to provide more funding and better financial transparency and tracking for distributed renewable energy. Additionally, they have a responsibility to foster local participation in and ownership of distributed renewable energy initiatives. This briefing provides recommendations for how international public finance institutions can fulfill this responsibility, while revealing that from 2016 to 2018, fossil fuels received more than 3.5 times the support than all kinds of renewable energy did during this period.
renewable energy
Briefing: Overseas players should not dominate distributed renewable energy sector in Africa
A new briefing released by Oil Change International details how the growth of distributed renewable energy in Africa has so far failed to include locally-owned companies and initiatives. The sector has been growing rapidly since 2013 — especially for companies focused on “pay-as-you-go” solar home systems — but finance has overwhelmingly only been accessible for multinational companies that are based in Europe or North America or led by entrepreneurs from these regions, meaning profits are largely not remaining in Africa.
The Vanishing Need for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Diminishing consumer demand coupled with more affordable renewables are casting doubt on the overall feasibility and potential profitability of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Report: The Vanishing Need for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Diminishing consumer demand coupled with more affordable renewables are casting doubt on the overall feasibility and potential profitability of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
“Shovel Ready” Renewables Offers to Fill Nuclear Hole in UK Energy Policy
As yet another British nuclear plant is scrapped, the renewables industry says it is ready to come to the rescue to help the UK deliver low carbon energy.
Big Shift Global reaction to World Bank Group’s post-2020 climate goals announcement
The World Bank Group released new climate targets for 2021-2025, aiming to provide and mobilize $200 billion in support of countries’ climate action. Members of the Big Shift Global coalition react to this announcement.
The African Development Bank and Energy Access Finance in Sub-Saharan Africa
A new analysis of the energy finance provided by the African Development Bank (AfDB) shows that while financing for clean energy access has increased since the bank’s landmark New Deal on Energy for Africa, support for off-grid and mini-grid solutions — often the fastest and most affordable energy access solutions — must accelerate if Africa is to realize universal energy access by 2030.
New Report: African Development Bank Falls Short on Clean Energy Access
As the African Development Bank (AfDB) kicks off its first-ever Africa Investment Forum in South Africa, a new report finds that the AfDB’s own support for the most cost-effective energy access solutions lags far behind what is needed – in contrast to its world-leading pledge to scale up energy access on the continent.
Forty-Five Years after the Start of the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, Renewable Energy Has Tripled
An analysis by the SUN DAY Campaign of both historic and recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) suggests that while progress has been made on some fronts since the 1973 Arab oil embargo, in other ways America’s energy situation may have actually worsened over the past 45 years.
New Report: MDBs Continue to Shortchange Crucial Energy Access Solutions
While the MDBs endorsed the Sustainable Development Goals, this new report shows that from 2014 through 2017, MDBs directed just 2% of their energy finance toward the off-grid and mini-grid energy solutions.