The Dirty Footprint of the Broken Grid : The Impacts of Fossil Fuel Back-up Generators in Developing Countries (Vol. 2) : Full Report (English)

Access to reliable electricity is fundamental to economic growth, improvements in health and livelihoods, and the development of societies. Around the world nearly one billion people are still living without any access to electricity, and of those with...  See More + Access to reliable electricity is fundamental to economic growth, improvements in health and livelihoods, and the development of societies. Around the world nearly one billion people are still living without any access to electricity, and of those with access, an estimated840 million more live with unreliable and intermittent service from electric grids that are essentially broken. In areas where the grid is broken, frequent blackouts can stretch for hours, sometimes days on end, leaving homes and businesses in the dark. For decades, energy sector issues have prevented electric utilities from delivering reliable and steady service to many cities, townships, and villages, resulting in a seemingly intractable grid reliability deficit across much of Asia and Africa. The structural challenges underlying these conditions are varied,including low population density, underinvestment in infrastructure to meet demand, mismatch between costs and customers’ ability to pay, financial pressures on utilities, and general mismanagement. Communities are left to cope with the outcomes.  See Less -