Democratization of energy can be defined as using renewable energy to put control in the hands of the people, rather than in the hands of multinational corporations or dictators, creating revolutions in political systems, standards of living, and environmental protection.

For the poorest countries, energy is a source of their poverty. Thirty eight of the poorest countries are net importers of oil, and 25 of them import all of their oil. The top recipients under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative are spending the money saved from debt relief on the increasing price of oil rather than on educating their kids, fighting HIV/AIDS, providing clean water, or increasing access to health care. Approximately 2 billion people worldwide are left without reliable energy sources, without refrigeration, without basic communication, heat, or even light because of the high cost and inaccessibility of fossil fuels.

Despite the numerous aid agencies and NGOs and the international associations under the United Nations, and despite the trillions of dollars spent to help those poorest countries, poverty still remains one of the most severe global issues. Poverty, however, can be mitigated or even eliminated, “but only if the poor are viewed as creators of their own destinies, and given the tools to attack the problems that beset them.” (Energy as a Compounding Agent: InterIntel and the Democratization of Sustainability. Authors: Justin Dargin, Research Fellow, The Dubai Initiative; Dan Schnitzer, Belfer Center Programs or Projects, The Dubai Initiative).