More than 1.3 billion people live without access to electricity. Eighty percent of these people live in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia where the high costs associated with the extension of the central grid has been a major barrier to the delivery of energy services. Even for communities that are connected to the grid, inadequate and unreliable supply makes electricity almost inaccessible. Distributed generation options can help fill this gap.
Distributed generation (DG) refers to modular systems that generate power close to where it is used. This includes stand-alone systems, as well as mini-grids, which may be off-grid or grid-connected. The 10 Questions to Ask about Distributed Generation provides a framework for stakeholder engagement around the common questions and challenges that arise in the context of planning for and implementing DG options to address the electricity access gap. The 10 questions addressed in this framework shed light on the key considerations necessary for the long-term sustainability of DG projects.

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