12 Social Solar Innovations

Social solar innovations give insight into how solar energy has the potential to transform how people access (and are given access to) electricity in the Majority World. In many parts of the globe, the sun is an abundant resource but it isn't harnessed the way it could be the most effective in making renewable energy available to those who don't have access -- and that's one in five people who lack access to electricity.

The United Nations recently released a report called Sustainability and Equity, which called for universal access to renewable energy. What's more, the UN emphasized how gender inequality affects sustainability. "Evidence suggests that if all women could exercise reproductive choice, population growth would slow enough to bring greenhouse gas emissions below current levels," says the report.

These social solar innovations point to the importance of not only recognizing the inequalities that exist between and within countries, but also trying to do something about it through solution-driven initiatives.