Off-grid solar and battery systems have become a more affordable way to provide electricity to remote areas than extending traditional power lines. According to the authors of the newly released report, these standalone systems are already the cheaper option for any community located more than a few dozen kilometers from the existing power grid.
“Off-grid solar-battery systems already beat grid extension for communities more than a few dozen kilometres from existing lines,” the report states. Furthermore, the analysis notes that “within a decade, solar-plus-battery is set to be cheaper than the grid for virtually everyone in CVF countries, connected or not.”
In the past, the only way to get power to distant villages was to build massive power plants and run expensive wires over hundreds of miles of difficult terrain. Now, because the cost of solar panels and batteries has dropped so much, it is often cheaper to generate and store electricity right where it is needed rather than paying the high price of building and maintaining long-distance transmission lines.
The report “The electric fast-track for emerging markets” was published globally by energy think tank Ember, in partnership with the Climate Vulnerable Forum, on 2 April 2026. Authored by a team including Daan Walter and Sam Butler-Sloss, the analysis details how developing nations can bypass fossil fuel reliance through scalable and affordable electric technologies.
