Next generation interactive tool as a backbone for universal access to electricity

Energy planning in rural areas and in developing countries most often relies on the outputs of specialised analytical tools, of which only a handful have been developed. Over the years these tools have been upgraded, and the newest among them take into consideration, to a greater or lesser extent, all key determinants of energy generation and distribution. This paper focuses on a “pool” of web-based geo-referencing open-source tools and highlights the extent to which each analytical tool reflects the particularities of the various determinants of energy generation and distribution. In doing so, the present work identifies aspects of the tools that need to be strengthened. Building on this information, the paper further maps the suitability of each tool with regard to calculating (at a local level) the six Sustainable Development Goal indicators that are closely related to energy. This makes it possible to draw conclusions about monitoring needs in study-areas. Bringing together these two sets of findings, the paper concludes with a research agenda for analytical tool development in the area of energy planning, which spills over developmental agendas.