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SDG 7: Enhancing the Rate of Access by Rural Communities to Clean and Affordable
Energy
Anmoldeep Singh (2412659)
Amandeep Singh (2423540)
Lovejinder Singh (2413201)
SUS200
Patricio Robles
June 22, 2025
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Introduction
The United Nations created a goal of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) in 2015,
which aims to provide sustainable access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern forms
of energy by 2030. Although there has been advancement in technology, and renewable energy
costs have been declining, there is a serious inequality of access. Its energy (International
Energy Outlook 2023 - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)) data also reveal that 775
million global citizens are living without electricity, with more 2.3 billion people using cooking
fuels that cause pollution. This paper is aimed at arguing that ensuring country status attainment
of SDG 7 in the rural regions should be a multidimensional program which encompasses
selective policy reforms, financial innovations, decentralization of energy systems, and global
collaboration.
Background and context
Access to energy is not only an issue of infrastructure, it is a source of development. In
the poorer areas of the world, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia,
electricity access is directly related to education, health, and economic opportunity
Fossil fuels have hitherto taken charge of the global energy supply as it contributes to
more than three-fourths of greenhouse emissions (Renewable Energy A Gender Perspective).
Though the use of solar and wind sources has grown substantially over the last ten years, the
renewable power contributes only 29 percent to the world power generation (Secretariat). These
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obstacles to adoption are even greater in the case of rural communities. These are, high cost, low
infrastructure and lack of information on the benefits of clean energy.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Secretariat)mini-grids and off-
grid solar home systems are examples of decentralized renewable energy systems that are
especially appropriate to rural electrification. Their implementation is, however, rather slow
because of the lack of investment and gaps in policies.
Problem: Barriers to Universal Energy Access
Nevertheless, although clean energy has been on the horizon, several obstacles hamper
the achievement of SDG 7:
1. Regular high upfront costs: The cost of solar panel has continued to go down by over 80
percent since the year 2010, but still, the initial cost of equipment as well as installation is not
affordable to most households in rural areas without subsidy.
2. Poor Infrastructure: Because of financial constraints it is not always economical to extend
national grids to some rural or remote areas. Unreliable power supply is caused by maintenance
problems even where infrastructure is in place (Casati et al.).
3. Unpredictable reliable supply: Solar and Wind energy are not predictable, and are often
unreliable. Also, battery storage technologies are not readily available and too expensive to be
supplied on an ongoing basis.
4. Policy and Investment Disparities: There is weak policy and investment environment in many
developing countries to lure in the private investments in clean energy. It is estimated that the
level of investment needed to deliver universal access to electricity by 2030 will exceed 35
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billion dollars annually (International Energy Outlook 2023 - U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA)), and the existing financial flows do not even come close to this mark.
5. Ignorance and competency: Where high levels of ignorance pertain to renewable energy
system and there are no competent technicians, adoption and sustainability are a problem.
Pay-As-You-Go Solar in Kenya Case Study
Kenya has pioneered off-grid solar solutions by creating innovative ways of financing.
M-KOPA is a Nairobi-based firm that offers solar packages to underprivileged homes with a pay-
as-you-go (PAYG) system. Customers are able to own the system by having to pay small
amounts everyday via mobile money services such as M-Pesa.
By 2023, M-KOPA has reached over 1.5 million houses, and it shows that affordability
can be resolved with ingenuity to finances (“M-KOPA Releases the 2023 Impact Report”)
Besides increasing energy access, this model has also created job opportunities within the local
communities. The M-KOPA success is clearly evidence of how technology can be combined with
micro-financing to develop scalable and sustainable solutions to energy.
Solutions and Pathways Forward
The following strategies are needed to enable access to energy with the aim of
accomplishing SDG 7:
1. Decentralized Renewable Energy Systems: Off-grid and solar mini-grids have the potential to
provide weaker national grids to bring electricity to otherwise remote regions more cheaply than
what would be required of national grids. The systems are adaptable, scalable, and may be
managed by the community.
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2. New Financing Mechanisms: Micro-financing, PAYG models and energy-as-service solutions
have the capacity to reduce the barriers of entry to low-income households. Project financing can
be supported by the international development banks and climate funds that can de-risk
investments.
3. Capacity Building and Local Engagement: The local technician can be trained and
communities informed about the advantages of clean energy, which is a great way to increase
acceptance rate and guarantee long term sustainability of the installations.
4. Effective Policy Frameworks: They need strong policies, which should be long term in nature,
to promote the renewable energy. This involves government subsidies on clean energy resources,
tax credit to individual investors and elimination of subsidizing fossil fuels.
Conclusion
SDG 7 is not the energy goal; it is a goal of development. Universal access to clean and
affordable energy has a power to change lives, decrease inequalities, and safeguard the planet.
But it will work out only when economic, infrastructural and political issues are tackled.
Innovation funding through decentralized renewable system, inclusive policies and international
support, can take even the most marginalized communities even to the most marginalized.
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References
Casati, Paola, et al. “Clean Energy Access as an Enabler for Social Development: A
Multidimensional Analysis for Sub-Saharan Africa.” Energy for Sustainable Development, vol.
72, Feb. 2023, pp. 114–26. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2022.12.003.
International Energy Outlook 2023 - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo/.
“M-KOPA Releases the 2023 Impact Report.” M-KOPA, https://www.m-kopa.com/newsroom/m-
kopa-releases-the-2023-impact-report
Renewable Energy A Gender Perspective. 12 Jan. 2019,
https://www.irena.org/Publications/2019/Jan/Renewable-Energy-A-Gender-Perspective.
Secretariat, REN21. “REN21 Renewables Global Status Report.” REN21, 14 June 2019,
https://www.ren21.net/reports/global-status-report/.
