Electricity for All: Issues, Challenges, and Solutions for Energy-Disadvantaged Communities [Scanning the Issue]

Abstract

Millions of people have limited or no access to electrical energy. A diverse group of scholars and activists, from individual researchers to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations, UN, and increasingly to engineering and financial private sector firms, have been working on initiatives to address this issue, which is considered by many a human rights problem. Energy access is not only a challenge for developing economies but is also equally important for service to remote areas such as the Arctic, islands, and communities distant from the grid. Several governments and private institutions, as well as nongovernment organizations around the world, are now funding projects and a variety of initiatives to help impoverished communities, especially across Africa and remote regions, develop clean and sustainable energy systems. The IEEE is actively involved in addressing energy access issues through several initiatives, such as the Smart Village program, focusing on “integrating sustainable electricity, education, and entrepreneurial solutions to empower off-grid communities” (http://ieee-smart-village.org/). In this special issue, we concentrate on highlighting the current state of knowledge associated with strategies for bringing clean, affordable, and sustainable electricity service reliably to energy-limited communities, based on local renewable energy (RE) sources and storage systems. Sociopolitical and economic forces as well as inclusionary and exclusionary culture or practices that often define the technical approaches and solutions offer opportunities for progress on this important problem.