Leaving no one behind is a core theme for the energy access sector and relates directly to the potential for energy access programs to inclusively address rural poverty. This presentation discussed key insights from detailed analysis of at-scale energy access programs in India and Nepal from Poor People’s Energy Outlook (PPEO) 2018. It also highlighted contrasting approaches to program design and propose a set of metrics to assess inclusiveness by gender, remoteness, and poverty.

While development literature often discusses the critical importance of electricity access and clean cooking to improve economic and social well-being, there has been little rigorous evidence of the specific nature and magnitude of these benefits. This presentation drew on impact evaluations from the Asia-Pacific region to explore the demonstrated impacts of energy access on income, education, women’s empowerment, inequality, and poverty alleviation in real-life settings.

As of 2018, India claims to have achieved 100% electrification across all states. This does not necessarily translate to the continued supply of power for all and calls for more reliable sources of energy. However, this will result in a shift of consumer demand to grid-connected devices and systems. Therefore, we see the need for loans with larger ticket sizes; from the $50 solar lantern, to the $200 home system and $ 10,000 microgrid for neighborhoods.

Apart from the lack of access to the electrical grid, rural communities in the Philippines pay much more for electricity than almost anywhere in Southeast Asia. While other options are available, rural communities have less access to solar-powered solutions because of distribution, financing, and maintenance gaps. Greenlight Planet and ASHI’s collaboration provides a success story for how green lending by microfinance institutions can help their clients improve their quality of life through energy access.

The Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation's (NWTF) success story on achieving scale and sustainability for their solar program focuses on two aspects: demand generation through marketing and education by dedicated program officers, and product support (technical support, inventory management, returns, distribution) through partners and suppliers. NWTF’s dedicated team of solar officers orient MFI clients on the benefits of using solar, provide basic troubleshooting when needed, and contribute to portfolio growth by adding more loans.

Transportation is an essential part of economic growth. But petroleum-fueled vehicles have created serious health problems for citizens in all major Indian cities and many poor people struggle to afford to purchase a vehicle. To address these challenges, SVCL, having a presence in central India, initiated financing E-Rickshaws in FY2016-17. Under this program, low-income group families were targeted who didn’t have enough capital to buy normal auto-rickshaws and were provided credit facilities to purchase E-Rickshaw so that their income generation capacity could go up.

As large sums are invested in renewable power in the Pacific, these investments’ sustainability is uncertain if the viability of SOE power utilities is not assured. ADB is assisting utility companies in the Pacific by conducting a comprehensive diagnostic review of their operations and the environment in which the utility operates. The review covers financial management and accounting, operational procedures, maintenance practices, customer billing systems; as well as external factors, such as SOE governance, regulation, and relevant government policies.

Offshore wind energy is maturing quickly and on the verge of becoming one of the most competitive renewable energy technologies. European projects in the North and Baltic Seas have pioneered the industry and the learning curve has been steep. Progress in project management and spatial marine planning approaches have led to substantial drops in both CAPEX and OPEX.

Community participation is a key factor for sustainable clean energy deployment. Micro-Hydro Power (MHP) built in Wangan Aji is one of the success stories of community-based clean energy implementation in Indonesia. The Wangan Aji MHP plant was constructed as run-off river utilizing the irrigation channel of Wangan Aji, Wonosobo, Central Java Province. It consists of 2 (two) propeller turbines with a capacity of 70 kW, each. Under its Poverty and Environment Program (PEP), ADB has assisted the Government of Indonesia to implement MHP Wangan Aji as a pilot intervention.

Environmental Flows (EFlows) are a vital way of mitigating the effects of human developments on rivers and estuaries, and thus for managing water resources for long-term sustainability. Modern EFlows assessment methods, based on ecosystem-modeling approaches, address the complexity of river ecosystems and their responses to infrastructure projects for development. For any considered scenario, they can provide quantitative estimates of a range of environmental indicators and offer possible options for biodiversity offsets and other mitigation.