By Kevin Goh
Energy connectivity to the rural population is a challenge faced by both developed and developing countries in their efforts to achieve energy access for all, said panellists at the inaugural Energy Access Forum at the 2016 Singapore International Energy Week.
Access to energy is not only about connectivity, but also quality and affordability, said Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Malaysia.
Renewables, micro-grids and off-grid solutions were shared as means of overcoming the high infrastructure costs of last mile connection. Sabah, for example, managed to achieve 95 per cent access to energy over the past few years, with the help of off-grid solutions and about US$30 billion of investment annually, said Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.
More investment is needed to develop these alternative solutions further – and regulators play an important role in this, said Shri Gireesh B. Pradhan, Chairperson, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), India.
Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said that having the right policies and regulations in place provide investors with the confidence to support alternative solutions. This is how China has provided energy access to about 500 million people over the past 11 years, he added.
The often-cited last mile can be the first one using decentralised business models, new public financing and investor interest, said Rachel Kyte, CEO of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) initiative. As the price of renewable energy technologies plummets, it is possible to imagine that the energy access gap can be closed sustainably.