Achieving universal energy access is a major global challenge and the focus of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 71. High rates of energy use are associated with higher wealth and standards of living2. However, as of 2022, around 685 million people lacked access to electricity3. Many of those without access to electricity rely on alternative fuels such as wood, coal, biomass, kerosene, or diesel for energy. These fuels can be cheap and accessible, but they also contribute to local air pollution, which has adverse health and environmental consequences. Electricity could reduce households’ reliance on polluting alternative fuels. While many electric grids are still powered by coal, expanding electricity access could provide a path to future large-scale conversion to renewable energy sources. Improvements in renewable energy technologies may also allow regions without existing electricity infrastructure to “leapfrog” dirty energy sources.
Despite the association between energy use and higher standards of living, research measuring the causal impacts of electricity access lacks a clear consensus on how it affects household well-being. Fourteen studies (eight randomized evaluations and six quasi-experimental studies) measured electricity’s impact on household well-being using a wide range of socioeconomic indicators, such as income, health, education, and labor outcomes.
Para leer más ingrese a:
https://www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-insight/expanding-household-electricity-access