05/08/2025
📌The 2025 Tracking SDG 7: Energy Progress Report, developed by The World Bank and its partners, acts as a global reference for information on the progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) which aims to “ensure access to affordable reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.”
➡️Progress in SDG 7 is assessed across 6 key indicators as follows:
✅7.1.1 – Proportion of population with access to electricity.
✅7.1.2 – Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology for cooking.
✅7.2.1 – Renewable energy share in total final energy consumption.
✅7.3.1 – Energy Intensity measured as a ratio of primary energy and GDP.
✅7.a.1 – International flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems.
✅7.b.1 – Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries.
💭 Some of the key highlights from the report include:
🎯Mini-grids and stand-alone solar remain critical: Despite concerns around long periods for Return on Investment (ROI), both mini-grids and stand-alone solar systems continue to be vital for expanding access, especially due to their modularity and ability to serve dispersed, lower-demand communities cost-effectively.
🎯Clean cooking access is being undermined by rapid population growth: The report notes that in Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people without access to clean cooking continues to rise, by about 14 million annually, as population growth outpaced progress. This invites a broader reflection: should clean cooking efforts be linked more deliberately with public health and population policy? A shift towards integrated behavior change communication - involving ministries of health, planning, gender, and energy - could unlock more sustainable outcomes.
🎯Energy efficiency is more than just end-use: It is useful to be cognizant of energy efficiency in generation, not just consumption. Often, the discourse around energy efficiency focuses on end-users, yet supply-side interventions are just as impactful.
🎯Finance still favors debt over impact: Even with high interest rates in 2023, debt-based instruments continued to dominate international public flows. Generally, economic return remains a stronger driver than developmental impact in many funding structures.
📌We highly recommend reading the full report available at https://lnkd.in/dPp_vP3. Let us know what stood out to you too!
