Affordable and Clean Energy

After water and food, energy is one of the key enablers of human life. Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today and access to energy for all is essential. But energy needs to be available and affordable to all to allow future development, and it needs to be clean in order to ensure that the development can be sustainable.

Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today, including poverty eradication, gender equality, adaptation to climate change, food security, health, education, sustainable cities, jobs and transport. 

Lack of access to energy may hamper efforts to contain COVID-19 across many parts of the world. Energy services are key to preventing disease and fighting pandemics – from powering healthcare facilities and supplying clean water for essential hygiene, to enabling communications and IT services that connect people while maintaining social distancing.

With their high reachability to generations, and major role in creating and disseminating knowledge, universities have been the major drivers of local, regional and global innovation, economic and social development. As such, universities have a critical role in the marketing and achievement of the SDGs while also benefitting from them.

In this sense, universities should promote and support clean energy, both through research, outreach, and also in their own behavior and usage.

Sustainability Development Goal 7, Affordable and Clean energy, seeks to provide access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

KAU is working on SDG7 through:

• Increasing the share of renewable energy.

• Improving energy efficiency.

• Enhancing local and international cooperation and collaboration, to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy and energy efficiency.

• Upgrading technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services.