Learning Brief: Commercial Pathways to Clean, Green and Affordable Energy

With a view across six inclusive business models, the Business Partnerships Platform takes stock of lessons to help inform investors, businesses, non-government organisations and governments interested in investing in and supporting the energy sector to close the energy gap and create lasting environmental and social impact.

Partnering for Impact

The Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) supports partnerships between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and inclusive businesses across the Asia-Pacific region to create lasting social, economic, and environmental impact. Existing BPP partnerships are improving access to reliable energy, making solar products more accessible and reducing emissions.

Across the Asia-Pacific, an estimated 420 million people lack access to electricity and nearly half the region’s population still relies on polluting and unhealthy cooking fuels and technologies. Rural populations, in particular, women and children, are most significantly impacted by the lack of energy access. Reliable and affordable energy can improve lives by creating feelings of safety for women, allowing more time for children to study, unlocking economic opportunities and creating better health outcomes from reduced smoke from kerosene and biomass burning.

BPP energy partnerships have so far met or exceeded expected sales targets for clean energy products demonstrating there is significant unmet demand for clean energy products at the household level across several diverse market contexts. While COVID-19 brings challenges with implementation, it also creates an opportunity for business, governments and investors to re-focus investments on supporting a green recovery for the benefit of rural and urban populations in the region.

The Business Partnerships Platform Learning Brief presents six partnerships that are addressing the energy access gap with bold and exciting ideas through cross-sector partnerships. We thank our partners for their contributions to this Brief. 

Download the full Learning Brief here!