Off-grid solar solutions provide the cheapest and fastest way to electrify hundreds of millions of homes and businesses. Yet over 100 million people will still be unable to afford them in 2030. End-user subsidies, which directly reduce costs for consumers, will play a key role in reducing this ‘affordability gap’. However, to avoid market distortion such subsidies must be designed carefully. To enable stakeholders to jointly design effective end user subsidies, GOGLA, ESMAP/Lighting Global, EnDev and Africa Clean Energy (ACE), created the End User Subsidy Lab: pooling knowledge, technical expertise, and funding. The Clean Cooking Alliance has recently joined the partnership.
About the End User Subsidy Lab
Get an overview of the Lab and its two main workstreams to catalyse smart, holistic end user subsidies.
What is an End User Subsidy?
Get an overview of how end user subsidies can help reach the poorest, how they compare to supply-side subsidies, and more.
Webinar Series: End User Subsidy Lab – Productive Uses of Renewable Energy
The webinars in this series will aim at stimulating the needed discussion and sharing knowledge that can play a key role in designing and implementation of smart PURE DSS programs within the context of nascent markets. The first webinar on 15 May 2024 looked at ideation and conceptual framework of current DSS programs (concept note here), while the second webinar will look at showcasing experiences and lessons learned for existing models.
Reports and Resources
From reports detailing why end user subsidies are needed to papers profiling smart design, find the latest tools and resources.
Subsidies Webinar Series: Event Recordings
Find recordings from recent events and webinars on smart subsidies and bridging the affordability gap.
Country Case Studies
End user subsidies for off-grid solar are already operating in several countries. Find detailed case studies.