Take Away Light and You Take Away Opportunity

The occasional power outage in a developed country can feel like a spontaneous vacation day; an opportunity to disconnect from the constant deluge of digital life. Only in rare circumstances will a power outage last longer than a few hours, and in most cases communities are equipped to respond immediately to the underlying issue.

For one in five people who still lack access to modern electricity, however, this is more than an occasional inconvenience. Lack of access to electricity is a daily challenge that impacts education, livelihoods, and safety. It is estimated that in 2015, 2.8 billion people have no access to modern energy services and over 1.1 billion people have no electricity at all.

Tweet Me: 2.8 billion have no modern #energy & over 1.1 billion have no #electricity. Join the convo at #SDGforum #GlobalGoals http://bit.ly/1HJ6Dc6

Over 1.1 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity.

“Four years ago, startup Off-Grid Electric, a founding partner of Power Africa Beyond the Grid, set out to address the electricity access gap in Tanzania,” writes Andrew M. Herscowitz, Coordinator for Power Africa, and Katrina Pielli, Senior Energy Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development for The New Global Citizen.

“After an early-stage grant from USAID Development Innovation Ventures and project preparation support from the Africa Clean Energy Finance program, along with private equity and debt,” said Herscowitz, “the company announced in early 2015 a goal to bring affordable electricity to one million Tanzanian homes by 2017.”

It is projects like this one, pioneered by Power Africa, that address the need for affordable and safe power for all. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or Global Goals, ratified by the United Nations set an ambitious target: to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all in just 15 years.

Tweet Me: Join the convo Nov 10-12 on modern & safe #energy for all at #SDGforum #GlobalGoals http://bit.ly/1HJ6Dc6

Tri-sector collaboration can facilitate ways to reconcile the necessity and demand for modern and sustainable energy services. Leaders from the public, private, and social sectors will come together November 10-12 in Washington, DC for the Global Engagement Forum (#SDGforum) to address global challenges like this, under the framework created by the SDGs. Join us in the discussion to answer questions like:

• How can we reduce the carbon intensity of energy while providing energy access to all?
• How can the private sector address the need for clean home cookining and heating solutions?
• How can international cooperation promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology
• How can individuals and institutions take ownership of the proposed UN Sustainable Development Goal Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Join the conversation at the Global Engagement Forum as we discuss how to build a better urban future for next generations through progress on Goal #7: ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Tickets are available here or follow the conversation on Twitter with #SDGforum.