Kristina Skierka
This week’s guest is Kristina Skierka, a genuine difference maker and true catalyst for change in the global energy sector. As the CEO and founder of the Power for All campaign Kristina has been instrumental in shaping a movement with a truly audacious vision and goal of: powering the 85% of the 1.1 billion people residing in rural areas who lack reliable energy and achieve universal energy access by 2025.
She’s a beacon of inspiration, galvanizing governments, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs worldwide behind her mission. Kristina has fostered partnerships with over 300 collaborators, to launch pivotal decentralized renewable energy solutions from intricate mini-grids to expansive mobile solar farms across countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, India, Ethiopia, and Uganda; distributed renewable energy (DRE) solutions that have the potential to increase agricultural productivity, help decarbonize the food system, reduce greenhouse gases, and mitigate the worst impacts of global warming.
With over two decades of expertise in the energy sector, Kristina’s influence extends beyond her campaign. A prolific speaker and writer and as a testament to her global impact, Kristina serves on the United Nations’ Technical Advisory Group for SDG7 and in 2021 was appointed to the inaugural United Nations Food Systems Summit.
This was recorded before last month’s Climate Week in New York where Kristina hosted a panel and released a report that called for transitioning the $8 trillion food system out of fossil fuels and into renewable energy. Power for All’s research indicates that by updating just five key farming technologies for Africa’s smallholder farmers, the continent could cut its emissions by10% and boost its economy by a staggering $24.5 billion.
I hope you enjoy this deep dive into Kristina’s inspiring journey, her visionary leadership, and the future of energy access globally. Thanks to Jeremy Tamamini.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
03:40 Who Kristina is as a human
07:15 What made her who she is?
17:00 How an Argentine adventure set her on path to energy access and equity
27:00 Flex Your Power and her transformational experience
32:00 What Kristina is working to achieve?
40:30 The genesis for Power For All
43:25 Being ahead of her time
45:25 The three components to Power For All
48:50 The geographical focus for the campaign
52:00 Building alliances
53:40 Kristina discusses an example of success in Uganda
01:00:10 Working with Utilities for mutual financial benefit
1:05:43 Democratizing energy to democratizing production
1:11:44 Following or supporting Kristina
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