Commercial yet social: The practices and logics of bringing mini-grid electricity to rural villages in Kenya

Pedersen, Mathilde Brix; Wehrmeyer, Walter; Nygaard, Ivan

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2020.101588

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The value of electricity for improving people's quality of life can hardly be overestimated. Behind the goal of connecting people to electricity lies the social goal of creating an impact by improving people's lives (Pedersen, Wehrmeyer & Nygaard, 2020). Electricity is a crucial factor for a range of modern services such as lighting, information and communication technologies, and cooking (Ulsrud et al., 2015).…”

Section: Energy Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Independence through leapfrogging: Energy transitions in Eswatini

Hastie

2024

Geography and Environment

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The need to swiftly transition to clean energy and expand electricity access is pressing; however, the goals of SDG7 are unlikely to be met by 2030, with the UN specifically mentioning land‐locked states as being off track. Through the conceptual lens of ‘leapfrogging’ fossil fuels, straight from traditional fuel sources to renewable energy, this paper discusses the relationship between electricity production and independence. It makes a conceptual contribution by introducing the term ‘energy independence through leapfrogging’, which is used to characterise the process of reducing dependency on another country – in the case of Eswatini, electricity is supplied by South Africa. Drawing from empirical research in Eswatini involving document analysis and in‐depth interviews, this paper discusses the potential for the country to move from being primarily an importer of electricity to generating its own supply from renewable sources. With Eswatini's current electricity supply from South Africa at risk/expiring in 2025, this research argues that the country faces a moment of opportunity for Eswatini to build further generation capacity, with a recommended focus on solar energy. The paper identifies potential challenges/barriers to this energy transition, examining power generation, storage, maintenance and affordability as key areas for intervention. Drawing on previous theories of electricity access, the paper argues that ‘access’ to electricity requires consideration of the affordability and reliability of energy systems. Eswatini is an understudied geographical area, and this paper makes a contribution to the literature on energy transitions by examining the specific circumstances attending this transition and examining these with relevance for other land‐locked nations in sub‐Saharan Africa.

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Section: Energy Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Independence through leapfrogging: Energy transitions in Eswatini

Hastie

2024

Geography and Environment

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“…While there have been several studies on the viability and challenges of mini-grids for rural communities [ 11 ] and [ 12 ], reports from academic literature have so far been inconclusive about the impact of electricity on microenterprises [ 13 ]. Thus, this study aims to contribute to the discourse in this area as a step towards closing the existing knowledge gap.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-economic impacts of energy access through off-grid systems in rural communities: a case study of southwest Nigeria

Babalola

Daramola

Iwarere

2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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The development of resilient energy systems is important for sustainable cities and communities. However, in countries with insufficient national energy supply, electricity distributors rarely consider remote communities due to their distant settlement, low electricity demand and poor payment capabilities. The United Nations has set a goal to deliver universal energy access by 2030; hence, it has become imperative to deploy clean and affordable off-grid mini-grid solutions to previously abandoned communities. Access to energy in rural communities is expected to result in unlocking their economic potentials. This paper investigates the impact of a solar hybrid mini-grid on the socio-economic growth of local entrepreneurs in Gbamu Gbamu village, Nigeria. A total of 83 micro- and small-enterprises has been surveyed; descriptive statistics, paired-sample t -test, cross-tabulation and χ 2 test, were used to assess the performance of businesses before and after electrification. The outcomes include the number of business enterprises created, employment statistics, energy expenses and income generated. Regression analysis was conducted on the relationship between the average income generated by businesses and independent socio-economic variables such as gender, marital status, household size, age, education level, years of business establishment, hours of operation, building tenure, capital source, number of employees, generator ownership and the days of operation. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing resilient energy systems'.

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“…Despite acknowledging the significance of decentralised RE MGs for enhancing access to clean energy in developing regions and the demonstrated positive impacts on rural livelihoods [23] in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the sustainable operation of these systems is challenging and largely remains an unresolved issue, especially if the systems are required to operate in a market environment that requires cost-reflective energy tariffs [24]. Despite a number of commonly reported issues such as technical faults [25,26], limited local capacity for maintenance and operation [27], inappropriate financing models or inadequate operational models that lead to limited affordability of energy and payment defaults [7,[28][29][30] the availability of case studies presenting comprehensive financial, technical and operational data and their systematic review focusing on the sustainability of RE MGs is still limited [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sustainability of Decentralised Renewable Energy Projects in Developing Countries: Learning Lessons from Zambia

Stritzke

Jain

2021

Energies

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Decentralised renewable energy (RE) systems such as solar PV mini-grids (MG) are considered to be a cornerstone for the strategic achievement of the UN’s energy access goals in the developing world. Many of these systems implemented however face substantial technical, financial and social sustainability challenges which are also a recurring theme in the relevant literature. MG analyses however often lack detailed technical or financial data or apply ‘silo-approaches’ as a comprehensive review of MG case study literature presented in this article reveals. Consequently, this study aims to enhance the understanding of RE MG sustainability in the developing context based on the integrated evaluation of the technical, financial and social dimensions of MG operation through empirical data from community surveys on energy use from Uganda and Zambia and two in-depth MG case studies from Zambia. By presenting detailed technical and financial data in combination with energy consumer perception, the study aims to close existing data gaps on sustainable RE MG operation and offers an approach to evaluate and optimise the operational sustainability of an MG in its individual local context. The article finds that the complex rural community ecosystem is a central, but yet undervalued determinant of MG sustainability in rural developing contexts. The mismatch between energy affordability and MG tariffs threatens MG sustainability and the scaling of energy access projects if not addressed specifically during project development and implementation. Consequently, the article calls for a strategic inclusion of community-ecosystem parameters and MG planning based on realistic energy affordability levels and an added value approach that includes dynamic MG financing mechanisms and targeted measures to generate added value through energy consumption as integral parts of RE MG projects.

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Commercial yet social: The practices and logics of bringing mini-grid electricity to rural villages in Kenya

Cited by 10 publications

References 46 publications

Independence through leapfrogging: Energy transitions in Eswatini

Independence through leapfrogging: Energy transitions in Eswatini

Socio-economic impacts of energy access through off-grid systems in rural communities: a case study of southwest Nigeria

The Sustainability of Decentralised Renewable Energy Projects in Developing Countries: Learning Lessons from Zambia

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