Accelerating off-grid renewable energy

Universal electricity access – one of the targets of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative for 2030 – will remain unachievable unless countries adopt a market-based approach to off-grid renewable energy deployment. This report highlights key findings and recommendations of the Second International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference (IOREC 2014), organised by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in partnership with off-grid and regional agencies. Financing for off-grid development needs to be more accessible and better administered. Comprehensive data is needed on technology costs, socio-economic impacts, resource availability and other factors in order to guide effective decision making on scaling up off-grid deployment. Capacity building efforts are needed for public agencies, financing institutions, entrepreneurs, regulators and others to promote better understanding the peculiarities of the off-grid sector.