Massive Green Power Gap in Developing Nations: Rockefeller Foundation Report

The Rockefeller Foundation has released a report titled ‘The Green Power Gap: Achieving an Energy Abundant Future for Everyone,’ highlighting a significant deficit of green power amounting to approximately 8,700 terawatt-hours (TWh) across 72 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. This gap is roughly twice the annual energy generation of the United States.

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, emphasised the urgency of addressing this gap. “The fate of 3.8 billion people’s lives and the planet itself will depend on whether we can close the Green Power Gap,” said Dr. Shah. 

“History makes clear that people and countries will pursue opportunity regardless of the climate consequences. The only way to achieve the world’s climate goals is scaling solutions and mobilising the capital needed to ensure 3.8 billion people have enough clean electricity to lift up their lives and livelihoods.”

The report identifies a ‘green window of opportunity’ and outlines four new pathways to close the energy gap. It stresses that of the 72 countries analysed, 68 fall below the Modern Energy Minimum (MEM) threshold, defined as having an average annual per capita usage of less than 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) necessary to alleviate poverty, generate employment, and foster economic development. 

The remaining four countries, despite surpassing the MEM threshold, still have significant portions of their populations living below this standard. Notably, India is included among these countries.

The Rockefeller Foundation's analysis specifies that out of the 72 countries, only eight are from Latin America and the Caribbean (Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua) and the Middle East (Syria and Yemen), with the rest predominantly located in Africa and Asia. This concentration highlights the regions where the green power gap is most critical and where efforts to close it could have the most significant impact.

The report categorises the 193 UN member countries into three groups: advanced economies, energy-poor countries, and emerging economies. Advanced economies are defined as high-income countries by the World Bank and include 55 nations. Energy-poor countries represent the 68 identified as energy poor, plus the additional four nations with significant energy-poor populations. Emerging economies encompass 66 countries that fall between the advanced and energy-poor categories. 

The report notes that over the past 50 years, the emerging economies saw their annual per capita energy consumption increase by nearly 4,000 kWh, whereas the energy-poor countries only experienced an increase of 500 kWh.

The Green Power Gap was calculated by assessing the permissible carbon emissions to keep global temperatures below 1.75°C while considering population growth and development goals. The calculation assumes that advanced economies will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and emerging economies by 2060.