All Episodes

[Episode #12] – Energy Access for the Developing World

What’s the best way to bring energy to those in the developing world who lack it? Why do forecasts by agencies like IEA always seem to overstate the cost of solutions in the developing world? Why do big expensive programs run by NGOs and the World Bank so often fail to achieve their aims of alleviating energy poverty? Why do those programs always seem to favor big coal plants, nuclear plants, CCS projects, and other big-ticket items that never seem to get built? And what’s actually getting the job done, right now, in places like sub-Saharan Africa? What are the prospects for those efforts in the future? We answer these questions and more…like where Bill Gates goes wrong with his zero-carbon equation.

Guest:

Justin Guay is the Director for Global Climate Strategy at The Sunrise Project. Prior to joining Sunrise he managed grant-making and strategy development for global coal campaigns at the ClimateWorks Foundation and Packard Foundation. He has also run the Sierra Club’s International Coal Campaign as the Associate Director for the International Climate Program.  He has lived and worked in Mumbai, India where he supported local community groups advocating for clean energy solutions and partnered closely with distributed solar companies serving poor communities.

On Twitter: @Guay_JG

On the web: Justin’s profile at The Sunrise Project

Recording date: February 28, 2016

Air date: March 9, 2016

Geek rating: 2