Policy Seminar: Faster than you think – renewable energy and developing countries

Ten years ago, predictions for the adoption of renewable energy around the world made it seem a distant and costly goal. But recent rapid declines in the costs of renewable energy systems and their key role in efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions are reshaping the global energy landscape.

The expansion of renewable energy has the potential to achieve universal access to electricity, greater food security, and lower emissions of GHGs and other pollutants. Developing countries with high solar potential have a significant opportunity to leapfrog directly to more advanced energy technologies that are low cost, reliable, better for the environment, and well-suited to serving dispersed rural populations.

Photo credit: Jamed Falik/IFPRI