This report, Tracking SDG7: The energy progress, provides country-by-country energy indicators for reporting on Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). Following the 2018 edition, this report provides a global dashboard and chronicles progress towards SDG7 at the global, regional, and country levels. This 2019 edition reviews progress up to 2017 for energy access and to 2016 for renewable energy and energy efficiency, against a baseline year of 2010. It tracks the following SDG7 targets:
- Target 7.1 is to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services;
- Target 7.2 is to increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix; and
- Target 7.3 is to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
According to the latest data, the world is making progress towards achieving SDG7, but will fall short of meeting the targets by 2030 at the current rate of ambition. The report highlights the following trends and findings:
- Notable progress in expanding access to electricity was made in several countries, notably India, Bangladesh, and Kenya.
- The global population without access to electricity decreased to about 840 million in 2017, from 1.2 billion in 2010.
- The global population without access to clean cooking solutions totaled almost 3 billion in 2016.
- Renewable energy accounted for 17.5 percent of global total energy consumption in 2016.
- With respect to energy efficiency, global primary energy intensity was 5.1 megajoules per USD in 2016, but still lags behind SDG target 7.3.
- Since SDG7 and climate mitigation (SDG13) are closely related and complementary, energy sector investment related to all SDG7 targets will need to more than double in order to achieve these SDG13 goals.
- Annual average investment will need to reach approximately US$55 billion between 2018 and 2030 to expand energy access, about US$700 billion to increase renewable energy, and US$600 billion to improve energy efficiency.
In addition to these findings, the report identifies best practices that have proven successful in recent years as well as key approaches that policy makers may deploy in the coming years. Recommendations applicable to all SDG7 targets include recognizing the importance of political commitment and long-term energy planning, stepping up private financing, and supplying adequate incentives for the deployment of clean technology options.