Energy Access Explorer The Digital Public Good to - Common Knowledge Scout

# Energy Access Explorer A Digital Public Good for Energy Transitions > [! note]- > The content of this page is generated by audio/video transcription and text transformation from the content and links of this source. Source: [https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6547-energy-access-explorer-the-digital-public-good-to-deliver-climate-compatible-energy-transitions-for-everyone/](https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6547-energy-access-explorer-the-digital-public-good-to-deliver-climate-compatible-energy-transitions-for-everyone/) <video src="https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h2214/fosdem-2025-6547-energy-access-explorer-the-digital-public-good-to-deliver-climate-compatible-energy-transitions-for-everyone.av1.webm" controls></video> ## Summary & Highlights: The Energy Access Explorer (EAE) is a pioneering open-source platform designed to address the critical challenge of energy access in underserved communities. By leveraging geospatial data, EAE aids planners and developers in identifying priority areas for energy interventions, aiming to bridge the gap in reliable energy access for socio-economic growth. **The Importance of Energy Access** Energy access is pivotal for socio-economic development, impacting healthcare, education, and economic competitiveness. Despite efforts, a substantial number of people remain without reliable energy, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The EAE aims to rectify this by offering a comprehensive tool that integrates demand and supply-side data to inform energy planning. **The Role of Energy Access Explorer** Developed by WRI and partners, EAE serves as a digital public good, offering data-driven insights for energy planners, entrepreneurs, and development institutions. It reduces costs for data management and facilitates inclusive planning by allowing users to customize analyses based on specific needs and priorities. **Applications and Impact** EAE has been instrumental in initiatives across Africa and South Asia, contributing to healthcare electrification in Uganda, mini-grid development in Nigeria, and energy planning in Kenya. It supports a wide range of stakeholders, from government agencies to clean energy enterprises, by providing actionable insights for expanding energy access. **Challenges and Future Directions** While EAE has made significant strides, challenges remain in scaling solutions and ensuring data accessibility. The platform's open-source nature invites collaboration and innovation, but requires ongoing support and adaptation to local contexts. Future efforts will focus on expanding geographic coverage and enhancing data integration capabilities. ## Importance for an eco-social transformation The Energy Access Explorer is crucial for eco-social transformation, addressing sustainable energy access and socio-economic equity. It empowers communities by providing tools for data-driven decision-making, supporting the SDG 7 goal of universal energy access. Eco-social designers can leverage EAE's open-source platform to develop localized energy solutions, engage in community planning, and advocate for policy changes. Challenges include ensuring data accuracy, integrating diverse stakeholder perspectives, and overcoming political and infrastructural barriers. Continued collaboration and investment in open-source technologies are essential to overcome these hurdles and achieve equitable energy access. ## Slides: | | | | --- | --- | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_001.jpg\|300]] | The Energy Access Explorer is introduced as a digital public good designed to facilitate energy transitions for everyone. Akansha Saklani presents the platform's potential to support equitable energy access and socio-economic development. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_002.jpg\|300]] | Energy is vital for socio-economic development, interconnected with 74% of SDG targets. A significant global population lacks electricity access, with many relying on polluting fuels for cooking, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_003.jpg\|300]] | Integrated energy planning is crucial for aligning energy supply with growing demand and incorporating decentralized renewable energy sources into regional energy strategies, ensuring cost-effectiveness and sustainability. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_004.jpg\|300]] | Inclusive energy planning involves considering diverse stakeholder perspectives, assessing energy needs from the ground up, and linking energy systems across different geographic levels to ensure comprehensive and equitable solutions. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_005.jpg\|300]] | A multi-dimensional energy access platform is needed to treat demand and supply equally, facilitating a balanced approach to energy planning and ensuring that solutions meet the needs of all stakeholders effectively. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_006.jpg\|300]] | Reducing reliance on GIS and programming expertise is essential for making energy data accessible to a broader range of users, enabling more stakeholders to participate in energy planning and decision-making processes. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_007.jpg\|300]] | Deploying an open-source dynamic information system allows data providers to manage and share data efficiently, fostering collaboration and innovation in energy access solutions. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_008.jpg\|300]] | | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_009.jpg\|300]] | The Energy Access Explorer offers high-resolution priority areas for energy interventions, a dynamic information system for data providers, and the ability to track changes over time, integrating diverse data sources to inform equitable energy planning. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_010.jpg\|300]] | The platform's frontend is designed for data and analysis users with no programming or GIS expertise, while the backend requires only basic GIS skills, making it accessible to a wide range of stakeholders. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_011.jpg\|300]] | The Energy Access Explorer's backend provides automated data processing, a dynamic database, efficient data storage, a customized content management system, and a modular API, all within an open-source, adaptable web architecture. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_012.jpg\|300]] | The platform offers an effective data management and governance system, centralizing data, metadata, and system customization, while defining roles and responsibilities for partnering institutions and data providers. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_013.jpg\|300]] | The Energy Access Explorer is being customized for Zambia, following a structured approach to tailor the platform to local needs and ensure effective energy planning and implementation. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_014.jpg\|300]] | The platform covers countries with 32% of the global unserved population, expanding from an initial prototype in 3 countries to 23 geographies, supported by over 200 stakeholders and 25,000 returning users. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_015.jpg\|300]] | Productive uses of energy are critical for socio-economic growth, emphasizing the importance of energy access in supporting agricultural and industrial activities essential for economic development. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_016.jpg\|300]] | In Kenya, integrated and inclusive energy planning strengthens county-level capacity by collecting and analyzing data, modeling scenarios, and writing comprehensive County Energy Plans for validation and launch. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_017.jpg\|300]] | Powering healthcare is essential for equitable development, with initiatives in Uganda demonstrating how energy access can enhance healthcare facilities and improve health outcomes. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_018.jpg\|300]] | The focus on powering healthcare highlights the critical role of energy in supporting health infrastructure, ensuring equitable access to essential services, and fostering socio-economic development. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_019.jpg\|300]] | Decarbonizing transportation involves identifying optimal locations for EV charging infrastructure, integrating energy planning with transport strategies to support sustainable mobility solutions. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_020.jpg\|300]] | Investing for impact through results-based financing supports off-grid electrification in Ethiopia, demonstrating the potential for targeted investments to drive sustainable energy access. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_021.jpg\|300]] | Equitable access to energy and software is a core principle of the Energy Access Explorer, enabling stakeholders to utilize granular data for planning and ensuring local ownership through cross-sectoral working groups. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Energy-Access-Explorer-The-Digital-Public-Good-to-/preview_022.jpg\|300]] | The Energy Access Explorer is supported by NASA Earth Observatory, with resources available on its website, GitHub, and online training platforms for those interested in learning more or contributing to its development. ## Links [Energy Access Explorer](https://www.energyaccessexplorer.org/) - Official website [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/energyaccessexplorer) - Source code [Video recording (AV1/WebM) - 89.2 MB](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h2214/fosdem-2025-6547-energy-access-explorer-the-digital-public-good-to-deliver-climate-compatible-energy-transitions-for-everyone.av1.webm) [Video recording (MP4) - 352.0 MB](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h2214/fosdem-2025-6547-energy-access-explorer-the-digital-public-good-to-deliver-climate-compatible-energy-transitions-for-everyone.av1.mp4) [Slides](https://fosdem.org/2025/events/attachments/fosdem-2025-6547-energy-access-explorer-the-digital-public-good-to-deliver-climate-compatible-energy-transitions-for-everyone/slides/238659/FOSDEM_E_PVL1Lz3.pptx)