Solar Lighting in Developing Countries Expands to $300 Million per Year Industry
Dubai, UAE: 12 October, 2015 – Over 13 million off-grid quality verified solar products have been sold to date in
developing countries, representing a new market worth $300 million annually. In Africa alone, sales have tripled in the
last three years providing affordable, clean modern lighting for 35 million rural Africans, according to a new report to be
released later this month by the World Bank Group and the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), in partnership
with Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The report’s findings mark a major increase in the number of people benefitting from cleaner, safer homes, with more
productive study and work time, yielding economic benefits. At present, over 1 billion people live without access to basic
electricity service. The progress achieved by this rapidly growing industry is important to the global development
agenda, as with the UN’s recently-agreed ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ targeting universal energy access by 2030.
The detailed findings of the report will be announced at the 4th International Off-Grid Lighting Conference and Exhibition
in Dubai, which is co-organized by GOGLA and the World Bank Group’s Lighting Global program.
Koen Peters, Executive Director of GOGLA, says: “Solar lighting in the developing world was virtually nonexistent ten
years ago. In recent years, we’ve seen great innovation and development in the industry, with companies proving they
can deliver real impacts. The potential to improve lives is phenomenal. Yet we’ve only just begun to address the
enormous demand from households for affordable electrical services. It is critical that we build on the early successes and
work with governments and donors to grow this market and achieve our goal of delivering basic electricity to every
household before 2030.”
Solar lighting and solar household electrification products have now evolved together with business models to deliver
the products to market at unprecedented rates. As a result, many business are now providing low income households in
Africa and Asia with affordable, high quality lighting, phone charging and other basic solar-powered energy services.
Investment in the sector has rapidly increased, with several companies having attracted investments of over $20 million.
“The solar off-grid industry is poised to be a transformative engine for economic development,” said Russell
Sturm, Global Head for Energy Access at IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. “The upcoming conference in Dubai
can be a game changer. It can help ensure that the full potential of this young industry is unleashed on solid grounds by
engaging all the key players including the most-forward thinking minds of governments, development organizations and
private sector companies.”
The three day conference and accompanying exhibition on 26 – 29 October will be the largest event for the sector to
date, expecting to convene over 400 delegates who will discuss how to expand the early success of this sector
sustainably. They will focus on how private sector-led commercial businesses can play a key role in achieving universal
electricity access.
The event will bring together Nobel Prize Winner Professor Muhammad Yunus and Grant Shapps MP – UK Minister of
State for International Development, who will be joined by investors, entrepreneurs, as well as business and technology
leaders. Key sector challenges and opportunities will be put under the spotlight at the UAE event, including access to
finance; government policies supporting market development; as well as technology and business innovation.
Ends
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Notes to editors
For further information and the full conference agenda, please visit www.conference2015.gogla.org
For more details, please contact Anna Wells at a.wells@gogla.org or Darragh Cotter at d.cotter@gogla.org
About the event
This event is the centerpiece of the international off-grid lighting community’s efforts to chart the business-driven route
to improved energy access for those lacking access to reliable, grid-based electricity. In recent years this industry has
been exploding with new product innovations, improving service and affordability, and rapidly evolving business models
enabling millions of people to climb the energy access ladder at unprecedented rates.
The 4th of these Conferences will be held in Dubai — the hub for a new global industry serving Asian, African, and other
markets. This event promises to be the largest to date, attracting a range of industry players and financial service
providers. The latest Market Trends Report will be presented. Representatives ranging from manufacturers, distributors,
investors, governments, donors and academia will convene to exchange lessons on the best ways to deliver energy access
quickly and efficiently using business-driven models. Over forty businesses will exhibit products that transform lives by
offering a cleaner, more affordable and sustainable means of lighting and powering homes. Specific sessions will further
examine topics such as addressing energy challenges in humanitarian crises, measuring the impacts of investments, and
using microcredit and mobile payment solutions to make products more affordable and accessible to end-users.
http://conference2015.gogla.org.
For further information regarding the venue and location: http://conference2015.gogla.org/?page_id=86
About GOGLA
The Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA) is a neutral, independent, not-for-profit association created to promote
lighting solutions that benefit society and businesses in developing and emerging markets. GOGLA acts as the industry
advocate and supports the industry in growing and strengthening the market for clean, quality off-grid lighting and
electrical systems. Its main objective is to support industry in scaling the sector based on the principles of the triple
bottom line, thus contributing to the objectives of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) and the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
www.gogla.org
About the World Bank Group and Lighting Global
The World Bank Group plays a key role in the global effort to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. It
consists of five institutions: the World Bank, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
and the International Development Association (IDA); the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral
Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Working together in more than 100 countries, these institutions provide financing, advice, and other solutions that
enable countries to address the most urgent challenges of development.
Lighting Global is the World Bank Group’s platform to support the development of commercial markets for modern
energy services for the more than 1.2 billion people in the world without access to electricity. For more information, visit
www.lightingglobal.org
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