Enabling energy access for all at COP 29

An estimated 759 million people around the world don't have a reliable source of electricity and more than 80% of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. But without access to clean, modern energy, it is impossible to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce poverty, broaden education and improve public health.

Electricity is the foundation on which all socio-economic development goals rest on, so efforts that contribute to enabling its access in a clean and affordable way contribute to progress in many other areas.

Challenges remain, however, including geographical and economic, which is where off-grid autonomous power systems provide a valuable solution.

At COP 29, IEC will be furthering the conversation around many such challenges through a number of sessions at the Standards Pavilion, the dedicated space for advancing climate action with standards, held at the Blue Zone, B15.

These include:

Electrifying hard to reach areas

12 November, 16.30-17.30 - Making off-grid energy more accessible and efficient

IEC is doing a vast amount of work around low voltage direct current (LVDC), which is facilitating access to hard-to-electrify regions with affordable on and off grid solutions. International experts will be sharing details about IEC standardization work around this at COP 29, further advancing international collaboration that can take this work to those who need it most.

14 November, 08.45-09.45 - Finance and standards for scaling renewable energy

Enabling worldwide access to clean and affordable energy will require significant investment, as well as policies and regulatory frameworks to support it. Standards and conformity assessment play a critical role in the implementation of policies and incentivizing initiatives to mobilize capital and ensure it is put to good use.

An example of this is the IEC Global Impact Fund, which is putting relevant standards into action in rural Africa, enabling the benefits of IEC expertise and know-how to connect communities with clean energy and empower them to stay connected, safely and sustainably.

This session will bring together key players from the Fund as well as those in global finance, standardization and renewable energy to identify key challenges and opportunities on the path to a clean energy future.

IEC collaborating globally for energy efficiency solutions

15 November, 09.00-10.00 - Energy efficiency standards harmonization

Together with experts from industry and international organizations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), IEC will be extending the conversation on a harmonized approach to energy efficiency standards.

The dedicated session at the Standards Pavilion will focus on the critical role of energy efficiency in climate action, in particular the goal of doubling energy efficiency improvements globally. It will also highlight the importance of harmonized national standards which have successfully advanced climate goals, and how IEC can help in scaling up these efforts globally.

Making diverse voices heard

18 November, 10.00-11.00 - Bridging generations: A youthful outlook for the future

Access to energy for everyone requires all voices to be heard and perspectives to be considered. Recognizing the importance of this, IEC will also have a dedicated session to highlight the importance of including diverse voices and engaging young experts in the dialogue for climate action and the role of standards in ensuring these solutions are effective and equitable.

During the session an IEC Young Professional will share their insights on standardization work being used to drive innovation and sustainability.

IEC will also be engaging with several other organizations like the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA), Alliance for Industry Decarbonization (AFID), RMI, CLASP, Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) and more to extend the conversation around energy efficiency, circularity and industry decarbonization.

All sessions will be livestreamed. Find out more about this and other IEC engagements at COP29 here.

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