Public statement on energy solutions

Our mission  

Sustainable Development Goal 7

• Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) aims to significantly speed up and deliver at scale, the solutions needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all – by 2030.

The Paris Climate Agreement and Global ‘Net-Zero’

• The same communities impacted by lack of access to sustainable energy are also facing the most severe adverse effects of climate change. Achieving the Paris Agreement and global ‘net zero’ carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 is imperative and will require innovative, sustainable solutions that can meet the needs of everyone, including communities currently being left behind in the energy transition.

A Just and Equitable Energy Transition

• Achieving the goals of SDG7 and ‘net-zero’ CO2 means that all countries and sectors must urgently undergo an ‘energy transition’ from the current unsustainable high-carbon-emission and unequitable energy systems to future sustainable net-zero emission and equitable energy systems.
  
  The concept of justice in energy transitions emphasizes the need to meet the specific needs of local, national and regional economies in line with national and global development objectives and  to manage social impacts of an accelerated shift away from fossil fuels towards adequate, reliable and affordable clean energy solutions.
  
  International equity in energy transitions is also an essential consideration for those countries currently experiencing high energy poverty rates, where the starting point is also characterized by inadequate or absent energy infrastructure and the end point must be a sustainable energy system that also allows growth, development and a dignified life for all.
   
• Therefore, we believe that a ‘Just and Equitable Energy Transition’ for all countries is needed to meet the following imperatives in concert:

1. A credible trajectory to ‘net zero’ CO2 emissions; 
2. Ending energy poverty, including closing energy access gaps;
3. Powering industrialization, economic growth, job creation and skills development;
4. Diversifying supply chains and participating in global energy markets;
5. Adapting to the effects of climate change; and
6. Leaving no-one behind, and particularly ensuring the empowerment and full participation of women and youth in the energy transition.  

Energy sources and energy finance  

• Our work at the intersection of global energy, climate and development challenges is driven by the urgent need to scale up renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy storage capacity globally. This includes a focus on decentralized renewable energy solutions (solar home systems, solar mini-grids, standalone solar systems for productive use), clean cooking, energy efficiency and passive solutions that can most cost-effectively deliver essential energy access and reduce reliance on traditional biomass and fossil fuels, particularly for communities impacted by energy poverty.
   
• There is unequivocally no sustainable future in fossil fuel-based power generation. Renewables are now cheaper than fossil fuels for power generation in almost all countries, e-cooking with renewables is starting to gain traction, and electrification of transport is increasingly cost effective in most countries.
   
• The country and sector scenarios where non-sustainable energy sources are still needed to reduce human suffering and save lives are increasingly limited and are typically characterized by: significant domestic energy poverty challenges; a heavy reliance on imported sustainable energy technology; and/or high cost of capital.
   
• Access to adequate, low-cost finance for renewable energy is essential to further limit fossil fuel development. This finance can help drive down potential higher cost of capital for renewables, making them a viable alternative to fossil fuels, especially when considering renewables’ lower OpEx needs compared to fossil fuels.
   
• SEforALL tracks flows of energy finance to developing countries on a regular basis. We have highlighted that chronic shortfalls in the amount of finance available for sustainable energy, particularly decentralized renewables and clean cooking, is a significant constraint on the Just and Equitable Energy Transition.
   
• The prohibitively high cost of capital for energy infrastructure in many African countries, along with other factors, is still holding back unnecessarily the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency on a continent with significant untapped potential. To accelerate the urgently needed transition away from fossil fuels, the ‘Global South’ requires significantly more international engagement and support.
   
• We support energy systems that are just and inclusive to both people and planet and embrace a technologically inclusive approach. Nuclear energy is a low-emission energy source that can play a role in addressing energy supply variability. It is recognized as a carbon-free energy source for the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact and is part of low-carbon transition pathways in reports like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report. Any solution, including nuclear power, must comply with international safety regulations and align with agreements on global peace and security.

How we work

• With just a few years to go until the SDGs 2030 deadline, we recognize the urgency of the challenge and the human, economic, and environmental costs being incurred as a result of inaction.
   
• SEforALL aims to address the barriers that lock countries into high-carbon futures with solutions that include: a results-based financing fund (the Universal Energy Facility) that improves the cost effectiveness of decentralized renewable energy; support for the development of high integrity carbon markets to drive carbon finance into clean energy projects ; and a Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative that seeks to address supply chain risk and to create green jobs in Africa and Southeast Asia.
   
• The communities and countries most impacted by a lack of energy access must be partners in developing approaches tailored to their contexts, and in implementing the solutions that are sustainable, affordable, effective and support industry and productive use. We believe the policy and financial decisions that shape these countries' futures should take evidence-based and nuanced views of the roles that different energy sources and energy efficiency can play in the short, medium and long term.
   
• In the complex process of energy policy development, we believe our role in working with partner governments is to: present fact-based evidence; identify potential opportunities to bring universal access to sustainable energy; and allow each government to make an unbiased and well-informed assessment of the policy options available to it.
   
• Our role seeks to respect the complete autonomy of each partner government in discharging its responsibilities towards its constituencies, and towards the wider global community, while supporting them to reach the globally adopted goals of universal energy access by 2030, and net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Examples of this support to partners include Energy Transition and Investment Plans (ETIPs), Integrated Energy Access Plans (IEPs), Powering Healthcare Roadmaps, and Cooling Needs Assessments.
   
• Further background on our work and partnerships is available on our website www.seforall.org, including case studies on how we are working on specific projects and the results we are achieving. 

Partnerships and funding

• SEforALL, as an organization, works to promote universal access to sustainable energy as part of a Just and Equitable Energy Transition. We do not, and will not, conduct work that seeks to promote fossil fuels over sustainable alternatives in any setting.
   
• We review new funding and new partnerships carefully for alignment with our mission and objectives. We do not, and will not, accept partnerships or project funding that seeks to promote a single fossil fuel solution, or fossil fuels as a group. We do not, and will not, accept funding directly from companies and organizations whose activities are substantively part of the coal, oil and/or gas sectors (including companies broadly recognized to be “fossil fuel companies”). Subject to careful assessment on a case-by-case basis that we bring to the attention of our Governance Board, we may accept funds from organizations that themselves derive revenue from the oil and gas sector, but whose primary mission we deem to be wholly aligned with SDG7 (examples may include selected development finance institutions, independent foundations, and energy access companies). A full list of our funders is available here.
   
• We engage with companies in the oil and gas sector in order to advocate for their greater ambition and action on SDG7 and the energy transition, including for example through Energy Compacts to the United Nations.  Such engagements do not entail the receipt of funding nor promotion of partner branding 

Statement last updated

This statement was last updated on 20 August 2024.

Version history 

17th May 2023: Paragraphs 2 and 4 corrected to refer to ‘Net-Zero’ carbon dioxide (rather than greenhouse gas) emissions by 2050 in line with current recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Paragraph 15 updated to link to case studies on SEforALL’s work. Paragraph 17 updated ‘Administrative Board’ to ‘Governance Board’ reflecting new naming for this body. Hyperlinks added and/or cleaned up throughout the statement for ease of reference.

26th April 2023: Extensively updated version published based on consultation with our Governance Board and Funders’ Council.