Guardian

For decades, achieving universal energy access has been a key development goal. Once solved, the resolution of many other development challenges might follow: lighting, cooking, heating, cooling, mobility and communications.

But the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook for 2011 estimates that 1.3 billion people across the world do not yet have access to electricity and 2.7 billion rely on traditional biomass for their energy needs. If we continue as we are, according to a recent report from development NGO Practical Action, 900 million people...