The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP) initiative – a Clean Energy Ministerial initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy – recently conducted an online survey to better understand the global market of off-grid clean energy system-compatible appliances. The goal of the survey was to help market actors throughout the energy access value chain make better informed decisions regarding off-grid appliances, from investment and policy interventions, to manufacturing and procurement.

Between 18 December 2014 and 13 January 2015, a total of 239 energy access professionals, many of whom were Practitioner Network members, identified the top five household and healthcare appliances that they think will inspire the greatest off-grid consumer demand over the next 3 to 5 years, and that they think are likely to drive the greatest energy access (e.g., socioeconomic or environmental) benefits. 

The survey shows that, for off-grid household and small enterprise applications, LED room lighting appliances, mobile phone charging banks, televisions, radios, refrigeration, fans, and solar water pumps are the appliances with the highest likely demand, in that order. For healthcare and clinical applications, refrigeration, sterilizers/auto-claves, patient monitors, and portable ultrasound machines are consistently ranked as the top four off-grid clinical appliances in terms of anticipated demand and potential impacts. 

To learn more about the survey results, please see the report at http://bit.ly/1bAHI2b.