Clean Energy

Energy for All Initiative

Empowering the Poor through Access to Energy – ADB promotes new approaches for scaling up access to energy for the poor.

Nearly 1 billion people in Asia and the Pacific still have no access to electricity. About 1.8 billion people still burn wood, dung, and crop waste to cook and to heat their homes. This persistent energy poverty has hampered efforts to reduce poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals. Access to modern, cleaner energy is essential to cut indoor air pollution; improve infant and maternal health, education, and agriculture; and ensure inclusive, sustainable development.

Maximizing access to energy is one of three pillars of ADB's 2009 Energy Policy and is essential to achieving ADB's Strategy 2020 objective of inclusive growth. The Energy for All Initiative builds on ADB's strengths and experiences to develop innovative approaches for providing access to reliable and affordable modern energy services, bring them to scale, and mainstream access to energy into ADB's operations.

ADB's Energy for All

Energy for All Brief

Powering the Poor: Projects to increase access to clean energy for all

Energy for All: Addressing the Energy, Environment, and Poverty Nexus in Asia