SDG 7: Energy Progress Report 2024

About SDG 7: Energy Progress Report 2024:

• Since its inception in 2018, it has become the global reference for information on progress toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The aim of SDG 7 is to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.”
• The report is produced annually by the five custodian agencies responsible for tracking progress toward the goal. 
  • The custodian agencies are the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
• This report summarizes global progress on energy access, energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean cooking, and international cooperation to advance SDG 7. 
• Highlights of 2024 Report:
  • The latest report confirms that the number of people without access to electricity increased for the first time in over a decade, as population grew—mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa—at a higher rate than that of new electricity connections, leaving 685 million people without electricity in 2022, 10 million more than in 2021. 
  • The world remains off track to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030. 2.1 billion people still live without access to clean cooking fuels and technologies, largely in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
  • Renewable electricity consumption grew more than 6% year-on-year in 2021, bringing the share of renewables in global electricity consumption to 28.2%.
  • Installed renewable energy-generating capacity per capita reached a new record in 2022 at 424 watts per capita globally.
• However, considerable disparities exist. Developed countries (at 1,073 watts per capita) have 3.7 times more capacity installed than developing countries (at 293 watts per capita).
  • It warns that current efforts are not enough to achieve SDG 7 on time. 
  • Between 2010 and 2021, India, along with China and Indonesia, achieved significant advancements in modern renewable energy use.
  • Between 2010 and 2021, India recorded one of the highest increases in the use of modern renewable energy, with the share of renewables in total final energy consumption (TFEC) rising by nearly 7 percentage points.
  • India’s transition to renewable energy has been bolstered by substantial international financial support.
  • In 2022, the country received a notable USD 627 million for 47 renewable energy projects, many of which were valued at less than USD 1 million. 
  • A significant portion of this funding came from Germany and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
  • India’s role in renewable energy extends to the transportation sector, where it, alongside the United States, Brazil, Europe, and China, accounts for 85 percent of renewable energy use.

Q1: What is the International Energy Agency (IEA)?

IEA is an international intergovernmental organisation based in Paris that was established in 1974. Its stated mandate is to maintain the stability of the international oil supply. IEA’s mandate has expanded over time to include tracking and analyzing global key energy trends, promoting sound energy policy, and fostering multinational energy technology cooperation. It was created in response to the 1973-1974 oil crisis, when an oil embargo by major producers pushed prices to historic levels and exposed the vulnerability of industrialized countries to dependency on oil imports. The IEA operates within the broader framework of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). It consists of 31 member countries and eleven association countries. A candidate country to the IEA must be a member country of the OECD.

Source: Progress on basic energy access reverses for first time in a decade

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