One of the biggest
changes we will see (or at least have made substantial progress towards) by
2020 is global electrification. In the US and Europe, most people take
electricity for granted. But that is not the case in many parts of Latin
America, Africa and Asia. More than 1.3 billion people still aren’t connected
to the grid. More than 1.5 billion still don’t have regular access to electric
light: they use oil lamps, which are a safety hazard.
Even where the grid exists, it’s fragile:
power blackouts are a major problem in many megacities. Power theft also
plagues Brazil, India and South Africa. Safe, reliable power will have a
transformative effect on these countries. Not only will there be near-term
benefits such as greater productivity, but we will see long-term quantum leaps
in educational achievement, healthcare and quality of life.
These communities don’t have power now because
our 19th-century grid is too expensive. The advent of new technologies is
changing both the business models and use-case scenarios to make it possible.
In a few years, the world will finally, truly, be wired.
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