Our experiences show us that strong energy access programmes don’t just provide electricity or fuel for cooking, they unlock deep social impact – often with surprising results. As we all work together to achieve universal energy access by 2030, we want to share what we have learned.
Boluotan village, China
Cleaner air at home
Shell and Zhidao, a non-governmental organisation, have set up a biomass pellet plant in Boluotan village.
Villagers can now choose to use biomass pellets instead of more air-polluting coal for cooking and heating. The plant produces biomass pellets from sand willow, a bush that grows in the area. The community is making money from harvesting and selling sand willows to the plant. Shell is also working to raise awareness of the benefits of clean cooking through initiatives like involving villagers in testing cleaner cookstoves.
Cleaner fuel has improved air quality.
Community earns income from selling sand willows and pellets.
Regular harvesting of sand willows reduces desertification.
In operation
El Negeila District, Egypt
Transforming schools with solar power
In the Western Desert, Shell will provide solar power to 15 community schools that are too remote to connect to the national grid.
Shell will also equip these schools with internet access, water tanks, and provide tablet computers for teachers. Shell also plans to install solar powered streetlights next to each school. This improves access after dark, meaning the schools can offer activities in the evening, including training for small businesses, and a programme for women to learn business skills.
Enhanced facilities aim to reduce dropout rates and improve teaching quality.
Business training for local women.
In development
Jigjiga, Ethiopia
Clean energy choices for refugees
In the Kebribeyah refugee camp, most people have little or no access to energy.
As part of the Enter Energy initiative, Shell and Mercy Corps are designing systems to supply clean energy and water to more than 14,000 people in the camp, and in nearby communities. Enter Energy is Shell’s initiative to develop sustainable and collaborative ways of providing energy access for refugees across the world.
Access to cleaner water and cooking solutions aims to improve community health.
A tailored skills programme will help refugees use energy for entrepreneurship.
In development
Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, India
Tackling air pollution in households
In India, air pollution in homes from cooking contributes to more than 1 million deaths every year.
With funding from Shell, the Clean Cooking Alliance is encouraging the use of cleaner cookstoves and fuels. The campaign, which reached over 1.1 million people, is tailored to women, who are most affected by air pollution in households. It includes informational videos and demonstrations of wearable technologies, such as bracelets that can sense the level of air pollution.
Discover more about the campaign
Watch the video "Smoke is Disappearing, Progress is Appearing"
Raising awareness of the health benefits of clean cooking.
Complete
Buayan and Sabibingkol, Malaysia
Energy and economic opportunity for remote villages
In Sabah, Malaysia, many communities in remote areas either have no electricity, or rely on expensive diesel generators.
Shell worked with local partners to install hybrid micro-grids, owned by the local community. In the dry season, these systems generate electricity using solar panels, and in the rainy season using water turbines. Three villages now have access to clean, reliable energy. Shell also set up community centres, which provide business training and equipment for entrepreneurs.
Community members can learn business skills.
In operation
Thanintharyi Region, Myanmar
Energy access through economic empowerment
In Myanmar, around 70% of the population doesn’t have access to the electricity grid.
Shell worked with PACT, a non-governmental organisation, to train people in 76 villages in the Tanintharyi region to not just install and maintain solar home system, but to manage their own community finances in smart ways. PACT and Shell also showed people how to use energy to improve their incomes. Around 20,000 people have gained access to renewable energy and improved their livelihoods.
Discover more about Ahlin Yaung
Watch the video "Creating light in the dark"
Community members manage their own community funds and decision-making
Womens’ groups equipped with essential finance skills
Using energy to improve local incomes
Complete
Sofala and Manica, Mozambique
Clean energy choices for refugees
After two cyclones hit Mozambique in 2019 more than 100,000 people had to flee their homes.
Shell is working with the International Organisation for Migration to design systems to supply clean energy in resettlement sites. This is part of Enter Energy, Shell’s global initiative to develop ways of providing energy access for refugees and displaced people. Shell will also provide training to help people boost their income using energy, for example with solar irrigation, electric sewing machines or solar powered equipment for barbers.
Stimulate productive uses of energy.
Lighting at home and in public spaces helps keep people safe, especially women and girls.
In development
Bullah Baloch, Pakistan
Transforming village life through solar power
Shell worked with the National Rural Support Programme to help Bullah Baloch, a village in eastern Pakistan, use energy more productively.
The initiative helped replace diesel well pumps with a solar-powered well, which reduces the time it takes to irrigate fields. A solar-powered flour mill was also installed, meaning people no longer need to travel around 8 kilometres to grind their wheat into flour. Families can also buy clean, affordable cookstoves. Further training and a community-owned fund will help the village sustain these improvements successfully over the long term.
New equipment boosts crop yield, decreases costs and saves time.
Clean cookstoves improve air quality.
In operation
Palawan, the Philippines
Energy access for island communities
In Palawan, the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI) is providing access to clean energy for villages that are too remote to connect to the national grid
These villages either had no electricity at all or relied on expensive, unreliable diesel generators. PSFI installed six community-owned microgrids, which charge batteries to provide round-the-clock power. PSFI also built a solar-powered kiosk, where villagers can buy and sell affordable products and services such as solar home systems and safe drinking water and ice.
Read the Inside Energy story "Power on: a village transformed"
Discover more about Shell's energy access work in the Philippines
Explore the full case study "From kiosk to community"
Reliable energy has increased earnings.
Solar kiosk provides access to safe drinking water.
In operation
Tabora, Dar es Salaam, Mufundi, Tanzania
Championing charcoal alternatives
In Tanzania, the primary fuel for cooking is charcoal, which fills households with harmful smoke.
Shell, together with local partners, supported a competition challenging local companies to develop scalable alternatives to charcoal for cooking. The winners of the competition received funding and technical assistance to grow their businesses. Their products, which include cleaner briquettes made from agricultural waste, are now used by food vendors, university cafeterias and restaurants in Tabora, Dar es Salaam and Mufundi.
Funding and technical assistance for local businesses.
Raising awareness of dangers of charcoal for cooking.
In operation
British Columbia, Canada
Clean energy powering First Nation enterprise
In Canada, Shell and the provincial and federal governments have funded a biomass system to power the Twin Sisters Native Plants Nursery, owned by West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations.
The biomass system uses waste from agriculture and forestry to produce a cleaner heat source for this First Nations-owned business. It is now the main source of energy for the Nursery, replacing a more expensive and less reliable propane heating system.
Biomass system replaces more expensive propane heating system.
Waste from agriculture and forestry is used to produce carbon neutral heat and electricity.
Nursery supports the sharing of traditional Indigenous knowledge between Elders and youth.
In operation
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