Powering Opportunity

As the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, we now have more evidence than ever that off-grid solar is a power tool for change, helping to build resilience on the road towards a sustainable economic recovery.

Following 2018's ground-breaking Powering Opportunity report, we expanded the research on the impact of solar home systems to more regions, including South Asia and West Africa. For East Africa, we went back to the households of the 2018 research to find out about the long-term effect of solar home systems. The research confirms that people with solar home systems gain more income and work longer hours while feeling safer and healthier. Download the reports below or explore the findings on our data dashboard.

Powering Opportunity. Energising Work, Enterprise and Quality of Life with Off-Grid Solar.

Get a global overview of the findings.

Read the Compilation Report

Powering Opportunity in South Asia

Find out more about the socioeconomic impact of solar home systems on households in South Asia.

Read the South Asia Report

Powering Opportunity in East Africa

Find out more about the long-term socioeconomic impact of solar home systems on households in East Africa.

Read the East Africa Report

Powering Opportunity in West Africa

Learn more about the impact of solar home systems on households in West Africa.

Read the West Africa Report

Further reading

• Read: Off-grid solar is vital for driving post COVID-19 economic recovery
• Read: Off-grid solar improves lives. Here's why it still plays a big role in India.
• Read: A sustainable energy future for West Africa? We can make it a reality today.
• Read: Off-grid solar is a power tool for change. Here's how to make it mainstream
• Powering Opportunity 2018

This research has been funded by UK aid from the UK government.
However the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.