Step-Up Energy Access Challenge
Climbing the energy ladder towards sustainable development
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Imagine a world where everyone has equal access to clean, reliable and affordable electricity
The problem
Why a challenge
Energy access remains a pressing problem for many communities in low- and middle-income countries around the world, with 759 million people living without basic levels of electricity.27 Even for communities that do have grid access, households may be subject to frequent blackouts and grid disturbances and therefore rely on diesel generators or other fossil fuel-based alternatives. We urgently need low carbon energy systems that are self-sufficient, repairable and resilient to climate impacts. At the same time, we need solutions at a price point that enables all households, businesses and services within a community to meet not only their basic energy needs but also to climb the energy ladder and contribute to local economic development.
By focusing outreach on local and underrepresented groups, including women and young people, a prize can incentivise new actors as well as new approaches to the challenge of energy access. Startups in this space often struggle to access finance, with venture capital requiring a rapid return on investment that is difficult to achieve in low-income markets. Challenge prizes can fill this gap, allowing innovators to experiment with different models of delivery to develop sustainable and scalable purposedriven business solutions.
Reliable and affordable electricity saves the family time and money, expanding children’s opportunities to learn.
Electric lighting enables children to study into the evening.
Low quality lighting from hazardous fuels impacts children’s learning.
£10M to inclusive solutions that enable communities to climb the energy ladder with clean, reliable and affordable energy Ten different city or regional authorities in low and middle-income countries will be chosen as community testbeds that span different contexts, including offgrid rural communities and urban or peri-urban informal settlements as well as more affluent neighbourhoods. These testbeds would each invite innovators to develop decentralised energy solutions enabling households, businesses and services within that community to
benefit from an improved level of access to electricity relative to their local average baseline. Solutions may utilise new or existing renewable energy technologies and products, but they must be tailored to the local context and deliver an electricity supply at a capacity and price point that meets the diverse needs of everyone within the community.
Limited access to electricity has a huge impact on everyday life. Affordable, reliable and clean energy unlocks progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education for all.
INDICATIVE TIMELINE 27. IEA, World Energy Outlook 2021 (2021).
Month 1 Open call for community testbeds
Month 6 Open call for innovators
Month 12 Piloting and testing
- Recruiting community testbeds
- Innovator outreach, targeting underrepresented innovators
- Finalists chosen per testbed
- Outreach to drive applications from diverse conte ts - 10 community testbeds selected
- Discovery grants disbursed
- Co-designing and testing solutions within the community
- Submissions of proof of concepts
- Capacity building
- Finalists selected
- Grant funding - Developing business models - Final submissions
30
Climate Possible: How funders can accelerate innovation for a resilient future
Month 24 Selection of winners 10M to the winning teams