Roughly 1.1 billion people worldwide lack electricity, and almost 85 percent of those without power live in rural areas. Distributed energy solutions that leverage digital payments open up opportunities to reach millions of people at low cost. In this blog series, CGAP looks at emerging evidence on the role that business models enabled by digital finance, such as pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) solar, can play in expanding access to electricity for low-income populations while advancing financial inclusion.