Studies in Empowerment: Approaches to Rural Electrification Worldwide

According to the World Bank, there are about 1.2 billion people who do not have access to electricity, most of them in rural and remote areas in the developing world. Developed nations faced a similar challenge to improve electricity access at the turn of the last century. Electricity access, especially in rural areas, is therefore a global challenge that has to be addressed by most countries at one point or another. Many developing nations, together with numerous aid agencies and support from developed nations, are working today to solve the technical, institutional, and educational dimensions of this challenge. In this article, the experiences of three broadly different countries- the United States, India, and Zambia- are described, illustrating approaches that have been or are being taken to overcome the electrification challenge.