Renewable energy is sometimes perceived to be a cause of higher energy prices, making energy access more difficult. There are, however, also signs pointing to the contrary, namely that renewable energy, due to steep learning curves of renewables and batteries, makes energy cheaper and broadens energy access. This project proposes to analyse and improve the impact of renewable energy on energy access by way of a longitudinal study analysing the evolution of participating APEC economies over time, as well as by having special regard for challenging situations of difficult energy access as listed in the 2020 Energy Access Initiative. The project will first provide hybrid capacity building to elaborate the skills of collecting and elaborating the relevant data. Based on the data, the final report elaborates a general model and furthermore discusses innovative technological solutions for challenging cases of difficult energy access.