Solar, wind, mini-hydroelectric, and geothermal energy systems are particularly well-suited for bringing electricity to the sparsely settled rural areas in developing nations, where an incredible 41% of the population was measured to lack electricity in a 2009 survey by the World Health Organization. Though extending the larger grid into such remote places is often too costly, the installation of renewable mini-grids or household-level systems is relatively easy and carries the advantage of low running costs.

Recent years have seen an increase in the spread of electrification. That’s partly due to the growing economies of superpowers like China and India, but in certain pockets, it’s due to the work performed by a number of organizations working to implement a range of sustainable technologies in the places that development has yet to transform. One of the most energy-starved places on earth is Sub-Saharan Africa, with a 31% electrification rate, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), and that’s where Robert Foster of New Mexico State University is currently working.