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Affordable and clean energy: The importance of SDG 7

In search of universal access to energy

Today, more than 1.2 billion people live without electricity, while nearly 3 billion —especially in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa— still rely on highly polluting fuels for cooking and heating. For this reason, the UN included Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, "Affordable and clean energy," among the seventeen to be achieved by 2030. The goal is to reduce the proportion of people who do not have access to electricity or use polluting methods as an energy source. But what is affordable and clean energy? We'll tell you about it below.

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What is affordable and clean energy?

SDG 7 seeks to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy to improve the living conditions for millions.

Reliable energy is essential for our everyday lives: all our activities, from cooking and heating water in the home to industry, infrastructure, education, communications, and medicine, all require energy to operate properly.

Therefore, SDG 7 seeks to ensure universal access to affordable, safe, sustainable, and modern energy to improve the living conditions of millions of people. It also includes the need to increase the proportion of renewable energy used and improve energy efficiency in general. To meet this goal, international cooperation is vital for encouraging investment and research in low-carbon energy and energy infrastructure, on the one hand, and for fostering the improvement of facilities and technology in the least developed countries, on the other.

What are the types of clean and affordable energy?

Solar panels next to a wind turbine

  • Solar energy: This type of energy -also called photovoltaic- uses the sun's radiation to generate electricity using solar panels. It is a renewable and abundant source of energy (in Spain we have an average of between 2,500 and 3,000 hours of light per year), which does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

  • Wind energy: It is generated thanks to the movement of the wind; wind turbines must be installed in windy areas (particularly in mountainous areas or at sea). It is a renewable and clean energy that has experienced rapid growth in many countries; in Spain it already accounts for 25.1% of the installed power at the national level.
Hydroelectric power plant

  • Geothermal energy: It is produced from the Earth's heat. It appears in regions with more geothermal activity, such as volcanic areas. It is renewable, clean, and inexhaustible, and is obtained from the heat of the Earth's interior, stored in rocks, soils, and groundwater.

  • Hydroelectric power: It is obtained from the force of moving water. It should not be confused with tidal energy —generated by the movement of the tides— or wave power —based on the movement of ocean waves—, although both are also renewable.

  • Biomass: It is considered a pillar of the circular economy and is a source of energy generated from specific crops and different wastes, such as agricultural (stubble), forestry (cleaning of forests and riverbanks), agri-food, or organic matter (garbage).

Importance of SDG 7

The availability of affordable, clean energy for all is essential for sustainable development. In developing countries, it democratizes access to education, among other factors, since schools will be able to have the energy and climate control necessary for children to attend school in adequate conditions. It also fosters employment by making the tools needed for businesses to function, and improves health conditions by making electricity available in medical centers to carry out the various procedures and properly store medicines.

 

All this can in turn result in a decrease in energy poverty, a structural problem for many countries, especially affecting the poorest consumers. Due to high energy prices, lack of income, and energy inefficiency in housing, people are unable to keep their homes at an adequate temperature or afford gas and electricity costs, leading to an increase in domestic accidents during the harshest months of the year.

 

However, the need to achieve SDG 7 affects us all, not just those living in developing countries. This is because CO2 emissions are not just confined to the areas where they are produced, but affect the entire planet. It is therefore essential to have access to sustainable energy sources that minimize the impact on health and the environment (which is also in line with SDG 3, "Good health and well-being"), and to consume the available energy in a responsible way.

How can we achieve affordable energy?

A group of hands joined together to make the shape of a light bulb

In order to make the transition to affordable, clean energy, it is necessary to invest in sustainable technologies while, at the same time, promoting policies and regulations that favor their development. It is also important to raise awareness and educate the entire population about the importance of energy sustainability: reducing demand is one of the pillars, together with the implementation of energy systems that rely on renewable sources. We must also add the need to improve energy efficiency in all sectors, from buildings and transport to industry.

 

Affordable, clean energy is critical to addressing climate change, reducing air pollution, fostering sustainable development in all areas of society, and promoting equal access to energy services —given that 13% of the world's population still lacks a modern, stable electricity supply.

Our contribution to SDG 7

At Repsol we are aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and are actively working towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In relation to SDG 7 in particular, we have made a firm commitment to provide energy and technologies that are increasingly cleaner, more accessible, and safer, and that contribute to both economic and social development. We have therefore taken a series of measures:

  • We have set a target of 20 GW of renewable electricity generating capacity and 1.9 GW of renewable hydrogen generating capacity by 2030.

  • We have invested €770 million in renewable energy and already have 3,870 MW of low-emission installed capacity.

  • We have more than 350 Solmatch solar communities —a Repsol service that produces 100% renewable energy through solar panels installed on private roofs in specific areas, so that households located within a 2,000-meter radius can join together and have access to renewable energy—. Thanks to these solar communities, 3,400 tons of CO2 emissions have been prevented from being released into the atmosphere.

  • Sustainable mobility is central to our strategy: we incorporate renewable fuels into our products, promote shared mobility with Wible— a car-sharing service for plug-in hybrids that can be used for a determined period of time—, and offer 1,200 charging points for electric vehicles.

Collaborative economy

The collaborative economy consists of sharing goods or services in exchange for a pre-agreed compensation, financial or otherwise. This way, we manage to have a more sustainable society.

Go to collaborative economy