700 million people still live without electricity. Here’s how to fix that | Jacqueline Novogratz

TED Talks Daily

TED

Creativity, Ted Podcast, Ted Talks Daily, Business, Design, Inspiration, Society & Culture, Science, Technology, Education, Tech Demo, Ted Talks, Ted, Entertainment, Tedtalks

4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Impact investor and Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz unveils a bold vision to bring off-grid solar electricity to 700 million people still living in darkness, transforming lives while slashing emissions. She asks a thought-provoking question: What if this generation could be remembered for finally bringing electricity — and dignity — to everyone on the planet?

For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.

Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou

TEDSports: ted.com/sports

TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.
0:12.4	I'm your host, Elise Hugh. In 100 years, what will future generations say about us and what we did,
0:18.2	or didn't do, for them and this planet.
0:25.8	It's a powerful question that impact investor Jacqueline Novagrats asks in her talk,
0:30.1	where she lays out a plan to bring electricity to everyone on the planet,
0:35.1	fixing, as she calls it, one of the biggest planetary market failures of our lifetime.
0:41.1	For Jacqueline, it is in darkness that instability, forced migration, and inequality rise.
0:46.4	Sharing examples of success stories her firm has invested in, she lays out how this dream is possible and asks us to consider what is the risk of not daring to be better and not
0:52.4	daring to bring light sustainably to all.
1:02.3	Hi, I'm Peter, colleague at Asda Biddeford. I'm always asked by customers why our prices are so
1:08.3	weirdly specific. That's a good question, Peter.
1:14.2	Like this 130 grand pack of ASDA shredded iceberg lattice.
1:15.7	See, 48p!
1:20.2	That's because at ASDA, we believe in passing on the pennies wherever we can.
1:22.1	To help you save the pounds.
1:24.0	Now that's good, honest value.
1:25.6	That's ASDA price.
1:28.3	Selected stores subject subject to availability,
1:30.5	may exclude Asda Express and small stores.
1:32.3	See asda.com slash small stores.
1:38.6	This episode is sponsored by Ancient and Brave,
1:42.4	the wellness brand blending ancient wisdom with modern science to create a toolkit of collagen blends and supplements
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 5 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.