Rooftop solar deemed best way to supply power to urban poor

Roof-mounted semiconductors that turn solar energy into electricity have the most potential among renewable energies to supply power to the underserved in cities in emerging economies, says the latest World Resources Institute report.

According to the report, Powering Cities in the Global South, solar photovoltaic systems (solar panels) are more effective at increasing access to power for poor urban households than biomass heating and cooling, micro-grids or wind turbines.

Rooftop solar is already the most common form of distributed renewable energy in the developing world, though the power produced by voltaic systems come closest to matching the demand for electricity observed in cities.
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