Non unique and Turn- Fossil fuels structurally lock in massive poverty- only decentralized renewable solve

(Clean Power Professionals Group, , 5-20)

Enbidge informs us that the International Energy Agency on Energy Access defines energy poverty as lacking access to electricity and clean cooking areas because of a lack of modern energy and it is estimated that over a billion people worldwide suffer from this problem. Energy poverty might be a direct result of the situation in developing countries regarding the establishment and maintenance of a reliable electrical grid. Renewables provide an excellent alternative for developing nations. As The Environmental Protection Agency mentions, centralized power generation tends to be the most economical and efficient system for providers to get the most value out of their money. However, the biggest problems with centralized generation come from their impact on the environment. Natural generation methods tend to impact the environment a lot less and could help developing countries meet their goals regarding pollution more effectively. The Failure of Centralized Electricity Distribution While it is more efficient to produce electricity from a centralized source, the fact remains that this system is less-than-perfect for developing countries that have a vast area to cover. As the volume of infrastructure required goes up, the amount of customers necessary to recoup that cost also needs to grow. However, in places like sub-Saharan Africa, there isn't the amount of population density essential to interest centralized providers into offering their services out in rural districts. The other obvious alternative is the development of a distributed grid, which has the added power of giving people back control over their electricity generation and distribution. Micro-Grids and the Growth of Independent Electricity There has been a push towards the implementation of smart micro-grids in some parts of the world to meet energy demand and push back the wave of energy poverty around the globe. However, these systems are finding it hard to get a foothold in some areas. As Energy Post notes, a micro-grid company aiming to deliver affordable electricity to Indian villages that had no electricity supply was met with massive resistance, deploying only ten units despite pitching 176 communities on the project. It was found that most villages didn't see micro-grids as 'real power' and instead decided to stick with governmental promises for centralized distribution. In many cases, these political promises never materialize, but villages still put their hope in their elected officials. Why Renewables Are Better for Developing Countries JOI Scientific notes that renewables and natural energy generation provide essential advantages to compete against traditional fossil fuel generation, including cost reduction, policy innovation, investment, and deployment. Developing nations that invest in this type of energy have the potential for growing their energy sector massively and can quickly obtain aid from the World Bank or other developing nations to fund their growth and development. The issues that these countries usually have is changing over from a fossil fuel based energy generation system to one that utilizes natural energy generation in the form of solar or wind power. The transition is a slow process, too gradual for some investors to consider. The cost of smaller grid systems might be perfect for addressing this shortcoming. Micro-Grids in Practical Application Smaller developing countries can benefit significantly from the implementation of micro-generation systems to distribute energy over a small geographic area. The limitations of alternative energy sources to provide vast amounts of energy for urban areas wouldn't be a factor in these villages because of the scaled down size of the distribution. The costs for implementation can be similarly scaled down. Eventually, once a sustainable and reliable electricity distribution is developed, the village can consider linking their grid to the national network or even helping to supply neighboring communities with each town providing the cost. In such a way, these isolated settlements help each other grow with the energy they harness.