In many parts of the world, the flick of a switch or the steady hum of an electric fan is so ordinary we barely notice it. Yet for hundreds of millions of people, these remain luxuries. Energy is the foundation of modern life: it powers hospitals, lights up classrooms, enables digital economies, and fuels opportunity. Without it, people are locked out of education, healthcare, and basic safety. Explore whether 2026 can mark the threshold for universal clean energy access: current stats, renewable energy growth, policy advances, remaining gaps, and what global leaders (including Mattias Knutsson) believe needs to happen.
As we approach 2026, the question hangs in the air: Will this be the year when clean energy access finally becomes universal? The signs are encouraging. Global renewable deployment is accelerating, technology costs are falling, and governments are stepping up their commitments. Investment is at record levels, and international cooperation around energy transition has gained unprecedented momentum.
And yet, the challenge is far from over. Vast inequalities persist, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, where millions of families still rely on kerosene lamps or wood-fueled stoves. Without urgent action, those left behind risk facing another decade of exclusion.
The Current State of Global Clean Energy Access
According to the World Bank’s 2025 SDG7 Energy Progress Report, 92% of the global population now has access to electricity, up from 87% in 2015. That’s a monumental leap in less than a decade. However, about 666 million people—roughly equivalent to the population of the European Union—remain without access.
The clean cooking story is more sobering. As of 2023, 2.1 billion people—one in four globally—still rely on smoky biomass fuels like wood, dung, and charcoal. These are not minor inconveniences. Indoor air pollution from dirty cooking fuels is linked to 3.2 million premature deaths each year (WHO, 2023), disproportionately affecting women and children who spend the most time near stoves.
On the brighter side, the renewable energy revolution is reshaping the electricity mix. In 2024, clean power sources—including wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear—supplied over 40% of the world’s electricity, a historic milestone. Solar alone added nearly 400 gigawatts of new capacity worldwide, more than the entire installed capacity of Germany’s grid.
Global investment in clean energy reached USD 2.2 trillion in 2025, double the amount flowing into fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency projects that by 2026, solar will surpass both coal and gas as the largest single source of power generation in some regions, especially Asia and Europe.
Why 2026 Could Be a Turning Point
Policy Momentum
Governments are taking bolder stances. The European Union’s Green Deal, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, and China’s 2060 Carbon Neutrality Roadmap are driving rapid expansion of clean power. In Africa, programs like Kenya’s Last Mile Connectivity Project and Nigeria’s solar mini-grid rollouts are targeting rural communities previously out of reach.
In 2025, over 90 countries pledged to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels and rechannel them into clean energy infrastructure. This political shift matters: subsidies for fossil fuels still topped $1.3 trillion in 2023, money that could instead fund universal clean access if redirected.
Technology & Innovation
Solar PV costs have plummeted by nearly 90% in the last decade. Wind turbine efficiency has doubled. Battery prices, once a barrier, have fallen to around $120/kWh in 2025, down from $1,200 in 2010. This makes off-grid and mini-grid solutions more affordable, especially in remote villages.
Innovations like pay-as-you-go solar kits, pioneered in East Africa, are bringing electricity to households for as little as $2 per week, unlocking lighting, phone charging, and even small appliances.
Private & Public Investment
Clean energy is no longer a niche for “green investors.” Institutional finance and sovereign wealth funds are pouring money into renewables. In the first half of 2025 alone, $386 billion was invested in renewable energy projects worldwide.
Countries like India and Indonesia are proving that scaling clean energy is not just possible but profitable. India’s solar parks in Rajasthan and Gujarat now deliver some of the cheapest electricity in the world—under 2 cents per kWh.
The Barriers That Could Hold Us Back
Unequal Regional Progress
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicenter of energy poverty. Over 570 million people in the region still lack electricity. Progress has slowed, with the number of unconnected people actually rising in some fragile states due to population growth outpacing electrification.
Financing Gaps
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that achieving universal access by 2030 would require $45 billion annually. Current flows are less than half of that, and disproportionately favor middle-income countries with lower investment risk. Low-income nations often face high borrowing costs, making projects unviable without concessional financing.
Infrastructure & Grid Challenges
Many countries now generate enough electricity in theory, but grids are weak. In South Asia and Africa, power outages average over 40 hours per month. Without investment in transmission lines, substations, and storage, reliability will remain elusive.
Clean Cooking’s Slow Progress
Access to clean cooking fuels is improving at less than 1 percentage point per year. At that rate, universal access won’t be reached until the 22nd century. Progress here requires not just technology but cultural adaptation, affordable distribution, and policy incentives.
Human Stories: Why Universal Energy Access Matters
Consider a rural clinic in Malawi, where nurses deliver babies by flashlight during blackouts. Reliable solar mini-grids could save lives by powering lights, incubators, and vaccine refrigeration.
Or picture schoolchildren in rural Pakistan studying by kerosene lamps, inhaling toxic fumes. A simple solar lantern can extend their study hours, improve health, and open doors to opportunity.
These are not abstract issues—they are about dignity, health, education, and fairness. Universal clean energy access is not just an engineering challenge; it is a moral imperative.
What Needs to Happen in 2026
The year ahead could mark the first time renewable energy dominates new generation globally. To translate that momentum into universal access:
- Scale decentralized solutions: Solar home kits, micro-grids, and hybrid systems must reach remote areas faster.
- Strengthen international finance: Concessional loans, blended finance, and risk guarantees are critical to unlock private capital in high-risk regions.
- Integrate clean cooking: Policies should treat cooking fuels with the same urgency as electricity.
- Build resilient supply chains: Ensuring that equipment, from solar panels to batteries, is affordable and available globally is as important as building generation capacity.
- Promote inclusion: Gender-sensitive and community-driven approaches ensure solutions are sustainable and widely adopted.
Conclusion
The story of clean energy access is one of both breathtaking progress and stubborn inequity. In 2025, we stand on the cusp of a historic shift: clean power is no longer a fringe technology but a central pillar of the global economy. By 2026, the world may look back and say this was the year when the path toward universal access truly began to accelerate.
But success will not be automatic. The last mile—those 666 million people without electricity and the 2.1 billion still cooking with unsafe fuels—requires not just technology and investment, but commitment, justice, and long-term planning.
As Mattias Knutsson, Strategic Leader in Global Procurement and Business Development, has noted, the promise of universal clean energy is not simply about building solar parks or wind farms—it is about securing the entire ecosystem: procurement of affordable technologies, stable financing structures, and resilient supply chains that can serve even the hardest-to-reach communities. In his view, 2026 will be the test of whether the world can align ambition with practical delivery.
If the international community can step up—governments, businesses, investors, and citizens—then 2026 could indeed be remembered not as the year when universal access was achieved, but as the year when it finally became unstoppable.
