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Region 2000 2009
Number of People Number of People
without access (million) % of Total Population without access (million) % of Total Population
East Asia and Pacific 188.6 9.2% 109.9 5%
Latin America and
Caribbean 43.5 8.3% 26.2 4.4%
Middle east and North 26.6 8.4% 16.3 4.3%
Africa
South Asia 594.6 42.9% 417.6 26.0%
Sub Saharan Africa 510.1 74.1% 576.6 67.5%
Source for above data: https://ourworldindata.org/energy-access

2000
• Peter Aldemann founded Phocos AG, a German company manufacturing of equipment for solar home
systems. He remained CEO until 2008 and the company is still operating.
• SELCO buys out RESCO in Sri Lanka and it transforms into SELCO-Sri Lanka.
2002
• The Renewable Energy and Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) was launched by the government of
the United Kingdom, along with other partners, at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) in August 2002. REEEP is based in Vienna and has the objective of advancing markets
for renewable energy and energy efficiency particularly within the emerging markets and developing
countries. Its primary focus is in de-risking and scaling up clean energy business models.

2004
• Harald Schützeichel founded the Stiftung Solarenergie - Solar Energy Foundation (Freiburg, Germany) an
organisation committed to economic development and poverty reduction through the sustainable supply
of solar energy. The holistic approach includes training, installation, maintenance/service, end-customer
financing and promotion of local SMEs. The aim is to initiate a self-sustaining solar trade in the partner
countries. The Stiftung Solarenergie is active in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and the Philippines.

2005
• Stewart Crane and Harry Andrews founded Barefoot Power in Australia which is one of the pioneers of
the pico solar products including its well-known Firefly Solar Lamp.

2006
• In 2004 Peace Corps volunteer Sam Goldman’s neighbour was badly burned in a kerosene accident
in Benin, Africa. Sam knew there had to be better, safer ways to power homes and businesses in the
developing world. After returning to North America he met Ned Tozun. In 2006, Ned and Sam founded
d.light, developing the initial prototype solar lantern and an ambitious plan to bring safe, bright, clean
lighting and power to people around the globe. d.light’s first commercial solar product made its debut in
the marketplace in 2008.

2007
• Lighting Africa is launched in September 2007. The initiative is jointly managed by the World Bank and
the International Finance Corporation (IFC), leveraging the comparative advantage of both organizations to
support the rapid scale-up and delivery of modern off-grid lighting to Sub-Saharan Africa. Lighting Africa
builds upon the pioneering work of the Lighting the Bottom of the Pyramid (LBOP) program, which was
created by IFC. The objective is to develop a Quality Assurance Program for the plug and play solar home
systems.
• The then European PV Industry Association (EPIA) created the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE).
The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) was created in response to the need for access to sustainable
electricity in the developing world and to facilitate the involvement of ARE members in emerging rural
energy markets. Initial members mainly came from Europe, however, it soon expanded to be become
an international business association (over 170 members) that promotes a sustainable decentralised
renewable energy industry for the 21 century, activating markets for affordable energy services and
st
creating local jobs and inclusive economies.

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