A recent post on the Green Futures blog asks “whether low-income countries are on a fast track to low-carbon prosperity.” From E+Co’s perspective, the answer is, “absolutely.” When countries like Tanzania and Cambodia boast electrification rates of less than 20%, that creates a huge opportunity to introduce market-rate energy products directly to off-grid communities. And that is precisely what the companies E+Co works with aim to do. In fact, we have seen numerous entrepreneurs build successful businesses by providing energy services to the rural poor throughout the world. From Zara Solar in Tanzania to La Esperanza in Nicaragua to SME-RE in Cambodia, developing countries are rife with small enterprises bringing big changes to people’s lives.
In many ways, the US has chained itself to fossil fuels. As we have seen with the recent abandonment of energy legislation, congress is simply unable to face the realities of what our carbon-intensive future will bring. From climate change to national security concerns to the financial burden associated with continued reliance on fossil fuels, we are in for dramatic upheaval in the coming decades due to our oil addiction.
In contrast, many developing counties are not yet so deeply reliant on oil, coal and natural gas. It is quite possible, and frankly advisable, that these nations will turn away from expensive large-scale fossil fuel-based grid deployment, and instead look to smaller-scale solar, wind, hydro and biomass/biogas to meet their energy needs. In doing so, they may in fact leapfrog many western nations in securing a reliable, low-cost energy future.
The Green Futures blog expands on this concept, and includes an interview with Harish Hande of SELCO-India, an E+Co investee. He offers pointed advice to governments looking to bring energy access to their underserved populations. He says, “Governments can get stuck in the past, too – trying to solve new problems with old thinking.” The rest of the article and Hande’s interview are well worth a read. It will be interesting to see how the future of clean energy deployment unfolds.
Michael Kwolek, Research Intern