Of this amount, oil products received $126 billion, natural gas $85 billion, fossil-fired electricity $95 billion and coal $6 billion. Fossil fuel consumption subsidies in countries with low levels of access to modern energy11 amounted to $71 billion, and subsidies in these countries for residential use of kerosene, electricity and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (sometimes labelled “fuels for the poor”) were less than $50 billion (International Energy Agency, 2010b). Thus, the problem of energy access is one mainly of distribution, not of absolute amounts of available resources. However, it is clear that there are a number of barriers to deployment and adoption of more efficient energy converters, as well as techno-economic limits to be considered. Solutions to overcoming the known barriers exist, but they require long-term commitment and a stable systemic approach by decision makers.