The impact of off-grid solar systems is being verified. According to the Off-Grid Solar Market Trends 2022: State of the Industry Report, at least 70 million people have gained access to electricity worldwide over the past 3 years as a result of off-grid solar systems, particularly in Africa. The report was commissioned by the Efficiency for Access Coalition, Open Capital Advisors, and the Global Off-Grid Solar Industry Association (GOGLA), as well as the World Bank and its affiliate, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as part of its Lighting Global initiative.
According to the report, at least 490 million people worldwide already have access to electricity through off-grid solar systems, an 18% increase over 2019. At the same time, at least 10.5 million businesses are using off-grid solar systems. However, this growth has been slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has created lockdowns and travel restrictions around the world.
This is the case of the African Development Bank (AfDB), which launched the Covid-19 Off-Grid Recovery Platform. Its activities have just been extended to support the activities of off-grid solar system suppliers. According to the Off-Grid Solar Market Trends 2022: State of the Sector Report, these companies have already created 370,000 jobs worldwide.
