XClose

Sustainable Development Goals

Home
Menu

Meeting the energy needs of those living ‘off-grid’ in Colombia

UCL’s Energy & Development Group is working in rural Colombia to ensure new electricity infrastructure meets community energy needs.

an image of a wind turbine

8 October 2020

In Colombia, 98% of the population now have access to electricity. But providing access to the remaining 2% – 1.4 million people, living mainly in poor rural areas – remains a challenge. 

“People living in Chocó lack electricity, but they also often lack clean drinking water and adequate sanitation,” explains Dr Julia Tomei (UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources). 

Since 2015, Dr Tomei and colleagues have been working with universities in Colombia to understand the energy opportunities and challenges for communities living ‘off-grid’ in Chocó, a coastal region.  

Typically, demand for electricity is low in these communities, which makes it difficult to attract private-sector investment. 

“Outdated regulations and energy markets are hindering efforts to introduce renewables.” 

“Our research highlights that electrification also offers opportunities to generate income, such as cold storage for agricultural and fishing products. However, poor infrastructure and limited resources hamper efforts and alone, they are not sufficient,” explains Dr Tomei, founder and member of UCL’s Energy & Development Group.  

The group acts as an interdisciplinary hub for research that connects energy and sustainable development and fosters collaboration between researchers, practitioners and local stakeholders across eight themes from economics and finance to energy demand and infrastructure. 

The Group’s studies show that if electricity is to provide the multiple development benefits on offer, it needs to be delivered as part of wider development programmes that place the needs of local communities at the centre. 

“And it needs to be clean energy,” Dr Tomei says. “At present, most off-grid electricity comes from diesel generators. Outdated regulations and energy markets are hindering efforts to introduce renewables.” 

Reaching full electrification in Colombia is within sight, but requires solutions that meet people’s needs without damaging local and global environments.  

“Our interdisciplinary and collaborative research is providing vital evidence that such solutions exist in Colombia and elsewhere – and with that a means to contribute to sustainable development,” Dr Tomei asserts.