ABSTRACT
The population of the world is growing rapidly, particularly in the less-developed world, where hundreds of millions of people still live without access to basic amenities that those in developed countries take entirely for granted: access to clean water, a basic level of sanitation, electricity in their homes. Perhaps more than any other factor, it is the access to safe, reliable, and affordable energy that allows real improvement in standards of living. Even basic electrification brings a multitude of self-reinforcing benefits: improved security and health, access to refrigeration for food storage, pumping of water to replace hand carrying, heating, and the potential to access electronic communications and information technology. In effect, access to electricity is one of the first major steps on the road to escaping poverty.
