Despite substantial progress since 2015—including significant increases in the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix and improvements in the global rate of energy efficiency—the achievement of the 2030 target of universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services remains off track and uneven, particularly with respect to the huge remaining energy access gap in Sub-Saharan Africa.
However, much headway can still be made on the road to SDG 7. Technologies are available, the costs of renewables and batteries have fallen dramatically, the policy architecture is expanding, and investment resources are available to be tapped. Accelerating progress will depend on closer collaboration among governments, the private sector, international organizations, and civil society. What is required now is urgency, coordination, and the political will to match commitments with resources, thus ensuring that the benefits of the energy transition reach every person, in every region, including the most vulnerable communities that the current trajectory risks leaving behind.
