Renewable energies and the poor: niche or nexus?

Renewable energies are considered as an essential element of any strategy for sustainable energy development. The poor in the developing world without access to modern energies are regarded as a major market for renewable energies. This short paper attempts to analyse whether such a niche is backed by any economic logic and whether renewable energy and the poor nexus could be a strategy for success. The paper Suggests that contrary to the common belief, the economic logic behind the niche is unsound and that the nexus is not a recipe for success. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.