International Energy and Climate Policy - Energy and Development - Projects

Alleviation of Poverty through the Provision of Local Energy Services. 

The overall goal of APPLES is to contribute to poverty reduction and alleviation in South Africa by developing implementation strategies to enhance access to affordable energy services for poor communities.

The key barriers that inhibit access to energy services for the poor in South Africa are:
- lack of knowledge on energy needs of the poor
- lack of knowledge on energy supply options among the poor
- weak infrastructure for delivering energy services
- lack of integration of energy interventions.

APPLES addresses these barriers by researching the energy needs of poor communities, undertaking capacity building activities and identifying best-practices that can be adapted to the South African context. Furthermore, APPLES supports the South African Government’s efforts to improve the infrastructure to deliver energy services to the poor, in particular the implementation of Integrated energy Centres (IeCs).

See for more information the project site www.applesonline.info or contact Nico van der Linden