Page 22 - Vol 33 Issue 34 2021

energy
Fatih Birol
Executive Director of the International Energy Agency of Central and Southern Asia and Eastern and
“On a global path to
achieving net-zero e mis sions
by 2050, we can reach key
sustainable ener gy targets by
2030 as we expand renewables
in all sectors and increase
energy efficiency,”
22 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol33 Issue 34 2021
SDG 7
Key highlights on Energy efficiency
SDG7 targets Global primary energy intensity - an important
indicator of how heavily the world’s economic
activity uses energy — improved by 1.1 percent in
Access to electricity 2018. This was the lowest average annual rate of
improvement since 2010. The annual improvement
are to meet the SDG 7 goal. Emerging economies in
Since 2010, more than a billion people have gained until 2030 will now need to average 3 percent if we
access to electricity. As a result, 90 percent of the Central, Southern, Eastern and South-eastern Asia
planet’s population was connected in 2019. Yet saw a rapid increase in economic activity, but the
759 million people still live without electricity, with rise in energy supply was mitigated by significant
about half of them living in fragile and conflict- improvements in energy efficiency, resulting
affected settings. Despite accelerated progress in in robust, continuous improvements in energy
recent years, the SDG target of universal access intensity. Between 2010 and 2018, energy intensity
by 2030 appears unlikely to be met, leaving an in South-eastern Asia grew 3.1 percent. The lowest
estimated 660 million without electricity, especially rates of energy intensity improvement occurred in
if the COVID-19 pandemic seriously disrupts Western Asia, Northern Africa, Latin America and
electrification efforts. the Caribbean (0.8 percent) and Sub-Saharan Africa
(1.4 percent).
Clean cooking International Financial Flows
The share of the global population without access
to clean cooking fuels and technologies was 66 International public financial flows to developing
percent in 2019, leaving almost three billion people countries in support of clean energy amounted
or one-third of the global population without to $14 billion in 2018, a 35 percent decrease from
access. Since 2010, the global access rate to clean an all-time high of $21.9 billion the year before.
cooking solutions grew annually by 1 percent, with Nevertheless, the overall trend in public financial
gains mostly attributed to progress in the regions flows has been positive over the past decade,
increasing threefold during the period 2010–18
South-eastern Asia. In stark contrast, progress when viewed as a five-year moving average.
in clean cooking access in Sub-Saharan Africa This trend, however, masks some important
was slower than population growth, with some distributional discrepancies, with financial
countries showing little or no improvements in commitments concentrated in a few countries and
the clean cooking access rate. For the first time, in thus failing to reach many of those most in need of
2019, more people without access to clean fuels
international support.
This year the report comes at a crucial time
and technologies reside in Sub-Saharan Africa than as Governments and stakeholders are gearing
in any other region.
up for the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy, a
Renewables summit-level meeting in September 2021 that will
examine steps needed to achieve SDG7 by 2030
The COVID-19 crisis resulted in an estimated 7 and mobilize voluntary commitments and actions
in the form of Energy Compacts.
percent year-on-year expansion of renewable
electricity generation, supported by long-term
contracts, low marginal costs, priority access to
grids, and installation of new renewable capacity.
In contrast, renewable energy share for transport
and heat declined in 2020. Renewable electricity
accounts for almost half of global modern
renewable energy consumption and three-quarters
of its year-on-year increase, with hydropower being
the largest renewable source of electricity globally
and for each region.