More than a quarter of the world has no electricity; about half have no piped water, 2.5 billion have no piped gas. The poor turn to substitutes that are dangerous and expensive. For light, most of the poor burn kerosene — and they are paying 600 times more for each unit of light than people who use incandescent lamps. Kerosene costs the poor 10 percent of their income or more — and it is a major contributor to indoor air pollution that kills 2 million people a year. On top of all that, it doesn’t produce very much light.Gaurav says the poor who are off the grid spend up to 615 percent more than on-grid people for the equivalent amount of electricity, 175 percent more for cooking fuel, 175 percent more for drinking water.

More wiring and pipes is not a viable solution. There is no political will for the expensive task of electrifying Africa. The grid, in fact, is growing more slowly than the population.

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