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Why Efficiency 
for Access?

High-performing appliances can greatly accelerate access to energy.

Appliances that deliver critical energy services such as refrigeration, cooling, and communications improve the lives and incomes of under-served households and communities. Continued development of off-grid and weak-grid renewable energy markets – and overall improvement in energy access – is tied to the improved availability of high-performing appliances.

With high-performing appliances, smaller batteries and solar panels can be used in solar home systems, reducing costs and enabling customers to run more appliances for longer. Similarly, in the context of community-level mini-grids or weak-grid environments, they can help lower electricity bills, improve reliability, and reduce lifetime costs. Ensuring the quality and durability of appliances protects consumers and safeguards the overall health of markets.

Agricultural Productivity

Agricultural Productivity

Improving farm productivity is a crucial part of poverty alleviation. This is because 40% of the global population relies on agriculture as its main source of income. However, over 25% of food produced in the developing world is wasted. Improved access to cold chain technologies could help avoid nearly a quarter of that loss.

Energy-efficient and affordable solar water pumps have the potential to be a critical enabler of economic growth and security for more than 500 million smallholder farmers worldwide. The estimated addressable market for solar water pumps today in sub-Saharan Africa and India is approximately USD 15.6 billion.

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Women & Families

Women & Families

Women shoulder a disproportionate share of the energy poverty burden. Around the world, women and girls undertake time- and labour-intensive activities, which include gathering firewood, collecting water and processing grain. This prevents women and girls from pursuing an education or other income-generating activities.

A range of appliances, from solar water pumps to sewing machines to agricultural processing equipment, unlock direct time and labor savings for women and children, and enable women to pursue entrepreneurship.

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Access to Health Services

Access to Health Services

Nearly a quarter of primary health centers in sub-Saharan Africa have no access to electricity. What's more, only a third of hospitals have reliable access. Distributed solar energy systems equipped with high-performing appliances can enable primary health centres and other health services to deliver reliable health services.

This approach will lower costs and improve service delivery at the same time. For example, a super-efficient solar-powered vaccine refrigerator uses only 10% of the solar panel and battery capacity compared to a conventional solar refrigerator.

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Strengthening Off- & Weak-Grid Markets


Appliance markets represent a significant commercial opportunity. The cumulative market opportunity across off-grid televisions, fans, and refrigerators amounted to USD 12.6 billion globally at the end of 2018, and this figure could double to USD 25.3 billion by 2030.

To achieve this potential, Efficiency for Access and its partners are working to remove the barriers inhibiting market development.

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