A staggering 3.8 billion people across 72 countries face an uncertain future as a massive "Green Power Gap" imperils their access to clean energy, warns a new report from The Rockefeller Foundation
An important report released today by The Rockefeller Foundation has revealed a staggering 8,700 terawatt-hour (TWh) "Green Power Gap" across 72 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. This energy deficit threatens the lives of 3.8 billion people, who urgently need access to clean power to escape poverty and drive economic development.
To address this crisis, the report urges the deployment of 8,700 TWh of clean power by 2050 – roughly twice the United States' annual generation. This ambitious target is crucial for these countries to leapfrog traditional, costly, and inefficient power systems and secure a future of energy abundance.
The report, "The Green Power Gap: Achieving an Energy Abundant Future for Everyone," identifies a critical window of opportunity and proposes four new pathways to close the gap. Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, emphasised the gravity of the situation, stating, "The fate of 3.8 billion people's lives and the planet itself depends on closing the Green Power Gap."
The 72 countries analysed in the report are home to 68 nations that fall below the Modern Energy Minimum (MEM), defined as an average annual per capita usage of less than 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh). This threshold is essential for lifting people out of poverty, creating jobs, and driving economic development. Four additional countries, despite surpassing the MEM threshold, are included in the "energy-poor" category due to significant proportions of their populations living below the MEM.
The report's findings reveal a stark regional disparity, with only eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East, falling below the MEM threshold. The majority of the affected countries are concentrated in Africa and Asia, highlighting the urgent need for targeted action to address the Green Power Gap and ensure a sustainable future for all.