The COVID-19 epidemic has been a major factor in delaying progress in achieving global power. Worldwide, 733 million people still do not have access to electricity, and 2.4 billion people still cook using fats that harm their health and the environment. According to the current rate of progress, 670 million people will still be without electricity by 2030 — 10 million more than expected last year.
The 2022 edition of Tracking SDG 7:
The Energy Progress Report shows that the effects of the epidemic, including land closures, disruption of global service delivery chains, and diversion of financial resources to maintain affordable food and fuel prices, have affected progress in the Sustainable Development Goal (i. SDG 7) to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy by 2030. Development is hampered especially in high-risk countries and those that already have access to electricity. Nearly 90 million people in Asia and Africa who have previously received electricity are no longer able to afford their basic energy needs.
The impact of the COVID-19 disaster on energy was compounded in the last few months by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which has led to uncertainty in global oil and gas markets and sent rising electricity prices.Africa remains the world’s least electrified country with 568 million people without electricity. The share of sub-Saharan Africa for the world of people without electricity has risen to 77 percent by 2020 from 71 percent in 2018 while many other regions are down to their share of access shortages. Although 70 million people worldwide have access to clean cooking oil and technology, this progress has not been enough to keep pace with population growth, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The targets of SDG 7 also include energy efficiency. From 2010 to 2019, annual energy efficiency reached 1.9 percent. This is far below the standards required to meet the objectives of SDG 7 and to close the lost area, the average improvement rate will need to reach 3.2 percent.In September 2021, the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Energy brought together governments and stakeholders to accelerate the process of achieving a sustainable future without power. In this context, the SDG 7 conservation agency, and the World Health Organization (WHO), as they present the report, urge the international community and policy makers to protect the benefits enshrined in SDG 7; remain committed to advancing action on affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all; and maintaining strategic focus in countries that need greater support.
Excellent targeted for SDG 7
Access to electricity. The global population share of access to electricity has risen from 83 percent in 2010 to 91 percent by 2020, increasing the number of people with access to electricity by 1.3 billion worldwide. The number of people without access to the population has decreased from 1.2 billion in 2010 to 733 million by 2020. However, the pace of progress in electrification has slowed in recent years which can be explained by the growing difficulty of accessing people who are far from the poorest of the poor and the impact that has never been seen. of the COVID-19 epidemic. Meeting the 2030 target requires increasing the number of new connections to 100 million per year. At current levels of progress, the world will reach only 92 percent of its total electricity supply by 2030.
Between 2010 and 2020, all regions of the world showed steady progress in electrification, but with varying degrees. Access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa has risen from 46 percent in 2018 to 48 percent by 2020, but the regional share of global access shortages has risen from 71 percent in 2018 to 77 percent in -2020, and many other regions, including Central and South Asia. , saw a decrease in their share of access shortages. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than a third of the population (568 million people) who are left without access by 2020.
Clean cooking:
 The proportion of the world’s population with access to clean cooking oil and technology has increased to 69% by 2020, an increase of 3 percent over the previous year. However, population growth has surpassed many of the benefits of access, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, the total number of people who cannot cook clean still stands for decades. Between 2000 and 2010, that figure was close to three billion people, or one third of the world’s population. It fell to about 2.4 billion by 2020. The increase was due to advances in reaching large, densely populated countries in Asia. In contrast, the shortage of access to Sub-Saharan Africa has almost doubled since 1990, reaching an estimated 923 million people by 2020.
A concerted, concerted effort is needed to achieve the goal of SDG 7 for universal access to clean cooking by 2030. It is important that the international community learns from the successes and challenges facing countries that have tried to design and implement clean energy policies in homes.
Renewable:
 Ensuring global access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy means accelerating the supply of renewable energy, heat, and transportation resources. Although there is no target for SDG 7.2, conservation organizations agree that the share of renewable energy consumption (TFEC) needs to increase significantly, or renewable energy consumption will continue to grow in this epidemic, to overcome economic disruption. and supply chains. While the share of renewable energy expenditure increased by record 2021, positive global expansion and renewable energy increased by 2021, positive global and regional approaches obscure the fact that countries where renewable energy is delayed are the most moderate. the need for further access. In addition, rising commodity prices, energy and shipping, as well as restrictive trade measures, have increased the cost of producing and transporting solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, wind turbines, and biofuels, adding uncertainty to future renewable energy projects. Renewable shares need to reach more than 30 per cent of TFEC by 2030, rising from 18 per cent by 2019, to be on track to achieve electricity generation by 2050. in order to further consolidate private finance, especially in less developed countries, in developing countries trapped in the middle, and in developing countries on smaller islands.
Energy efficiency:
SDG 7.3 aims to double the global average for basic energy development — the amount of energy used per unit of wealth created — to 2.6 percent in 2010–30 compared to 1990–2010. From 2010 to 2019, annual energy efficiency reached an average of 1.9 percent, far below the target, and the annual improvement rate should now reach 3.2 percent to cover the loss. This rate will need to be much higher — continuously higher than 4 percent over the past decade — if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions in the energy sector by 2050, as envisaged in the IEA Net Zero Emissions 2050 Scenario. Early 2020 estimates point to a significant decline in resilience development in the wake of the COVID-19 disaster, due to the large share of labor-intensive activities and low energy prices. Vision 2021 proposes a return to 1.9% development rate, a moderate rate over the past decade, due to the sharp focus on energy saving policies, particularly on COVID-19 recovery packages. However, energy saving and investment policies need significant upgrades to achieve the goal of SDG 7.3.
International Financial Flow :
The flow of international public finance to developing countries with support for clean energy declined for the second year in a row, down to USD 10.9 billion by 2019, despite huge demands for sustainable development in many countries and the growing urgency of climate change. The rate has dropped by about 24 percent since last year and could be even worse due to the 2020 epidemic. Overall, the level of funding remains below what is needed to achieve SDG 7, especially in the most vulnerable and least developed countries.
The decline has been observed in many regions, with the exception of Oceania alone, where the international population flows have risen by 72 percent. The bulk of the decline was centered in East and Southeast Asia, where it dropped by 66.2 percent; in Latin America and the Caribbean, where it dropped by 29.8 percent; and Central and South Asia, where they dropped by 24.5 percent.
While the private sector finances large-scale renewable energy investments, public finances remain crucial to attracting private investment, which includes creating an environment conducive to private investment, improving infrastructure, and addressing the perceived and real risks and barriers to investment in electricity transformation. The international humanitarian flow to countries that lack financial resources to support their energy transformation includes a large part of the international cooperation that will be needed on a global transformation that will bring the world closer to achieving all the SDGs.
Indicators and tracking data to proceed:
 Tracking the global progress of the goals of SDG 7 requires high quality, reliable and comparable quality data to formulate an informed and effective policy at the global, regional, and national levels. Data quality has been improving with national and international cooperation and strong mathematical strength. National data systems are evolving as countries establish legal frameworks and institutional systems for comprehensive data collection to achieve demand and balance of demand; use end user surveys (e.g., homes, businesses, etc.); and developing quality assurance structures. However, after the epidemic has hit and disrupted the progression rate reaching Goal 7, further investment in quality statistics is needed so that we know where we stand and how we can get back on track. This is especially important in developing countries, especially the Developing Countries, to inform national energy policies and strategies to ensure that no one is left behind.
For more read: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press release/2022/06/01/report-covid-19-slows-progress-towards-universal-energy-access
