Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support increased investment in decentralised renewable energy projects in developing countries.

The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries through decentralised renewable energy, to help meet the basic energy needs of some of the poorest people in the world.

For example, programmes in Kenya and Tanzania aim to stimulate investment in community scale, renewable energy mini-grids, increasing electricity access for millions of people. The Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Technologies (REACT) challenge fund has provided seed finance for decentralised, renewable energy businesses to grow in countries of East Africa. And the Energy Africa campaign is working with a range of African countries and businesses to accelerate the expansion of markets in Africa so that people are able to buy affordable solar systems.