20 per cent of the world’s population lack access to electricity

Over 1.3 billion people globally, or 20 per cent of the world’s population, lack access to reliable electricity, while 2.7 billion people still rely on traditional biomass use for their cooking needs. Yet the International Energy Agency estimates that ensuring universal access to modern energy services by 2030 — a prerequisite for achieving the Millennium Development Goals — could be achieved at relatively low cost (less than 3 per cent of the total energy investment required by 2030), and with a modest impact on total energy demand and carbon dioxide emissions.

Recent years have seen renewable energy’s share of power, heat and transport grow strongly, with renewables accounting for an estimated 16per cent of global final energy consumption. Renewable energy accounted for about 50 per cent of total added power-generating capacity in 2010. Progress has been especially marked in the electricity sector, where renewables delivered close to 20 per cent of the world’s electricity in 2010. Progress has been especially rapid in some countries: in China, for instance, renewables account for about 26 per cent of total installed electric capacity, and in Brazil the share of renewable energy in power generation is over 80 per cent.