Before the pandemic, according to both the World Bank and the IEA, there had been noteworthy progress in electricity access among rural populations across Asia. Specifically, in South Asia electrification for rural residents went from 45% in 2000 to almost doubling to 87% in 2018. The electrification among the total population in countries including Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia has gone from under 20% in 2000 to over 70% in 2020. Although the statistics look impressive,…