Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Sustainable energy is an opportunity too as it fuels lives, economies and the planet.

Getting sustainable energy to all who want it represents one of the biggest development challenges of the 21st century. Research suggests that 1.4 billion people — over 20% of the global population — lack access to electricity, and that at least 2.7 billion people — some 40% of the global population — rely on the traditional use of biomass for cooking.

According to International Energy Agency, 1.2 billion people will still lack access to electricity in 2030, 87% of them living in rural areas. The number of people relying on the traditional use of biomass for cooking is anticipated to rise to 2.8 billion in 2030, 82 % of them in rural areas.

Meeting worldwide growing energy demand is becoming more difficult. With a population set to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, demand for energy, water and food is mounting across the board. Traditionally, growth in demand has been met predominantly by tapping further into fossil fuel, freshwater and land resources. Taken together however, these resources are limited in nature and their extraction and use often has significant social and environmental impacts, from resource-driven conflict to climate change.

Business as usual — for energy the extraction of non-renewable fossil fuels like coal and oil — is not an answer. Energy is the dominant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the carbon intensity of energy is a key objective in long-term climate goals. In a time of climate change, economic growth and social wellbeing will depend heavily on the rapid scaling up of low-carbon, clean energy sources and their effective and efficient distribution.