KTH partners with the World Bank in supporting energy access and climate action planning

Meeting sustainable development target 7.1 on ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services, is fundamental for improving the livelihoods of people. Nonetheless, around 750 million people still lack electricity access today. To breach this gap, KTH has worked with the World Bank and other partners in developing the Global Electrification Platform (GEP), an online platform providing pathways to reach full electricity access in 58 countries. The GEP and the model behind it, the Open Source Spatial Electrification Tool (OnSSET), are probably the most used electrification tools in the world.

In a new effort by the KTH division of Energy Systems, KTH Climate Action Centre and the World Bank, researchers will assess how different trajectories for universal access to electricity can result in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, and insert that information in the GEP platform. This will support countries working with the World Bank to align electrification targets with the Climate Action Agenda. Also, it will open new opportunities for looking at how climate financing could aide the energy access challenge.

´Least-cost electrification plans are fundamental to country engagements at the World Bank, and the GEP has dramatically changed how we develop our plans. However, our current efforts are ignorant of the climate effects, which is a problem. While balancing climate concerns with economic development is a constant struggle, these new tools will allow us to be better informed and make climate-compatible decisions.´ Benjamin P. Stewart, Senior Geographer and lead of the Global Operational Support Team at the World Bank

Project contacts:

Links:

Global Electrification Platform (GEP): electrifynow.energydata.info

Electricity to the nearly 1 billion people still lacking it