R&D gaps for off-grid power - time to think big about going small

Today, 15 per cent of the world's population lives without electricity. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that jumps up to two out of every three people. A major drive to bring renewable energy to these 'electricity poor' is underway, but despite the progress made so far, under a business-as-usual scenario around 600 million people will still not have access to electricity by 2040, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). To avoid this, new partnerships and a need to think big about going small in terms of technical innovations seems to be the key, as Gail Rajgor reports.