Tag Archives: socio-economic benefits

Asia, energy access, Header_Posts

Solar-Based Solutions Improving Livelihoods in Rural Areas

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Organisations around the world are teaming up to help rural communities gain access to basic energy needs through renewables

In Majhuee, a village nestled in central Nepal, Raj Mani Chaudhary and his wife depend on fish and vegetable farming for their income. The couple used to spend NPR 2500 (USD 24) per month to operate and maintain a diesel pump for their farm, but as their pump got older, so did the cost and frequency of its repairs. Slowly this was becoming unsustainable and something had to change.

Change meant turning to solar power. Continue reading Solar-Based Solutions Improving Livelihoods in Rural Areas →

energy access, Publications

Renewables for Growing Food and for Growing the Economy

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Agriculture and related agri-food activities are at the heart of the rural economy, with a large percentage of households employed in harvesting, agro-processing, transporting and selling produce. Yet, rural communities often struggle with the lack of access and affordability of resources, and they can be limited to producing low-quality goods with little variety. This traps rural economies in poverty.

Affordable energy services were recognized as essential ingredients of economic development in the Millennium Development Goals, including the eradication of extreme poverty. More recently, access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy has been included as one of the Sustainable Development Goals.  Increasing access to cost-effective and environmentally sustainable energy services can have a broader development impact through better livelihoods, improved health, gender equality and enhanced education..

Released this weekend at the International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition, IRENA’s first interactive digital publication, Renewable Energy Benefits: Decentralised Solutions in the Agri-food Chain, highlights the socio-economic benefits of using decentralised renewable energy to deliver energy for activities in the agri-food chain in rural areas. Continue reading Renewables for Growing Food and for Growing the Economy →

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Increasing World’s Share of Renewable Energy Would Boost Global GDP up to $1.3 Trillion

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According to new analysis by IRENA, achieving a 36 per cent share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030 would increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 1.1 per cent, roughly USD 1.3 trillion. Renewable Energy Benefits: Measuring the Economics, released today at IRENA’s sixth Assembly, finds that dramatically scaling up renewables in the global energy mix by 2030 would increase GDP, social welfare and employment worldwide.

The new report provides the first global estimate of the macroeconomic impacts of renewable energy deployment. Specifically, it outlines the benefits that would be achieved under the scenario of doubling the global share of renewable energy by 2030 from 2010 levels. Continue reading Increasing World’s Share of Renewable Energy Would Boost Global GDP up to $1.3 Trillion →