Powering the Last Billion: The Technologies That Are Electrifying the Developing World

Approximately 1 billion people live without access to electricity today, and bringing power to the last billion is the single largest initiative for many governments. Particularly in regions of the developing world, the solution to this problem is still up for debate. In this report, we provide an overview of rural electrification, including both the technology approaches and the regions seeking electrification. We segment technology approaches into three types, examining the unique features of each through case studies, and we find that the right technology solution depends heavily on the characteristics of the region being electrified.