Power for All: 2021 at a Glance
2021 was a year of rapid growth for Power for All as we celebrated our sixth anniversary. The team grew as many new staff members came on board. We started new projects and successfully participated in several global events, including COP26 and the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). On a lighter and heartwarming note, we welcomed our first Power for All baby when one of our new staff got a baby boy.
Powering Jobs
The campaign launched the second Powering Jobs study in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia, and India. The objective of the study is to quantify the impact of DRE in creating jobs and supporting local economies. This in turn will assist in making informed decisions about both electrification strategies and the associated development impacts on job creation. We are still collecting data; therefore, if you are a company that operates across the off-grid Renewable Energy spectrum in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia, and India, and you have not responded to our online survey, we still want to hear from you! Find the form here: https://buff.ly/3qaWzsy
The next phase of the study includes the formation of national and global steering committees, the organization of focus group discussions, and the launch of the report.
Power for All also held a panel discussion at the Blue Zone at COP26, using insights from our 2019 Powering Jobs study and preliminary results from the 2021-22 census to show ways in which DRE is empowering employment and equity. We also got good media coverage throughout COP26, including an insightful CGTN Africa interview with Power for All CEO, Kristina Skierka.
Utilities 2.0
In June 2021, Power for All officially commissioned the Utilities 2.0 pilot program in Uganda. Later in November, led by our CEO, Kristina Skierka, we hosted Ugandan Government officials on a visit to the project site where the U.2.0 consortium illustrated the impact of an integrated energy approach on accelerating access and stimulating demand. A survey was also conducted to test the impact of an integrated energy approach. Power For All was also represented at the Power Forum which was part of Energy Week organized by Uganda’s Energy Ministry.
Powering Agriculture
On an invitation by Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Power for All through its Powering Agriculture campaign, participated in the National Dialogue of the UNFSS in August 2021. DRE was included at the top of the list of strategic recommendations that were presented.
The campaign also contributed to the UNFSS, focusing on the integration of energy and productive use, and hosted a Global Dialogue on “Scaling a clean energy-based food transformation.”
Future plans include expanding the campaign into Ethiopia this year and continuing to grow it in India.
Power for Health
In 2021, we launched the Power for Health campaign in three countries. In Zambia, we worked with the government to submit an energy compact to the UN’s High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE). A coalition of stakeholders was formed that developed a call to action and an action plan that has been submitted to the Ministry of Health, along with our partner, Africa Clean Energy -Technical Assistance Facility (TAF).
The Powering Health campaign also held a successful media workshop in Burkina Faso in November 2021, sponsored by the Ministry of Energy, and submitted an energy compact with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).
India 25x25
The brand refresh with CLEAN (Clean Energy Access Network), to help position, grow, and unify the DRE sector in India was finalized in October. Power for All also took part in the network's annual meeting where it shared recommendations for accelerating the achievement of SDGs through DRE solutions. The team here is also part of CLEAN's steering committee overseeing the State of the Sector report, which is due to be published in February.
We also started working with the Jharkhand Health Department and Centre for Environment and Economic Development (CEED) to conduct a survey to evaluate the status of electrification of health centers in the state.
Our participation in a panel discussion at the India Distributed Energy Forum saw a 250% increase in the share of voices earned in Hindi media, with 14 publications in 2021.
The team is looking forward to building on these successes for an even more fruitful 2022.