Mobilizing heterogeneity: understanding the dynamic qualities and diversity of energy access in Maputo

Abstract

Significant steps have been made to expand grid-level electricity access in Maputo, Mozambique. Simultaneously, research highlights the emergence of alternative socio-technical infrastructures that often run parallel or complementary to centralized electricity networks. Approaching energy access across such technologies and practices is crucial to understand the challenge of energy access even in cities where grid connectivity is high. Recently, the concept of heterogeneity has emerged to describe such diverse infrastructural realities. Through 62 household interviews, this article examines the heterogeneity of energy access in Maputo. It contends that heterogeneity is a dynamic landscape of practices and strategies that interface with contested political ideals. By approaching heterogeneity as a cross-cutting dynamic, qualities of sustainable energy access such as increased security, autonomy, and the preservation of valued livelihoods become apparent. It is contended that such qualities offer reference points to better evaluate the sustainability of heterogeneous energy access and guide more coordinated energy governance.

Beyond the Grid: The Micropolitics of Off‐Grid Energy in Qandu‐Qandu, South Africa

“…In this paper, we have argued for the need to explore the micropolitics associated with using smart infrastructures in off-grid settings, where solar energy disrupted existing energy configurations and created its own politics. Building on work by Amin (2014), Silver and McFarlane (2019), Smith (2023), andTruelove andCornea (2021), among others, we have showed how the use of solar energy in Qandu-Qandu is constituted by interactions articulated through the placement of towers, technical capabilities, and flexible financing modes. The introduction of solar mini-grids into the solar energy landscape in Qandu-Qandu did not replace the overlapping set of grid-based illegal connections and self-help energy options (candles, paraffin, and diesel generators) already in use.…”

“…Energy infrastructures have lively aspects, with a diverse range of energy options that provide various benefits, such as improved well-being (Mathebula et al 2022), affordability (Pailman et al 2018), and safety (Wiig 2018). An established body of work exists on the heterogeneity of off-grid and other forms of infrastructure, where heterogeneous infrastructural configurations are seen as part of the constantly changing and evolving energy landscape (Silver 2014;Silver and McFarlane 2019;Smith 2019Smith , 2023. The splintered and fractured ways in which energy transitions take place have also been seen as entrypoints to explore overriding logics involving both power and politics (Caprotti et al 2020;Marvin 2001, 2022;Lemanski 2020).…”

“…To study the disruptive aspects of energy beyond the grid, we acknowledge the need to consider the relationship between more "traditional" options alongside more "contemporary" ones (Smith 2023), especially where they come to be accessed as part of the sociality of infrastructure. This forms a new and relatively under-explored aspect of heterogeneous infrastructures, and necessitates critical engagement with solutionist and technologically-celebratory narratives (Bobbins et al 2023;Guma 2020), usually built on discursive constructions of informality as characterised by imperfection and inadequacy (Caprotti et al 2022) that need to be "solved" by technological interventions.…”

“…2018), and safety (Wiig 2018). An established body of work exists on the heterogeneity of off‐grid and other forms of infrastructure, where heterogeneous infrastructural configurations are seen as part of the constantly changing and evolving energy landscape (Silver 2014; Silver and McFarlane 2019; Smith 2019, 2023). The splintered and fractured ways in which energy transitions take place have also been seen as entrypoints to explore overriding logics involving both power and politics (Caprotti et al.…”

Practicing urban resilience to electricity service disruption in Accra, Ghana

“…In Southern cities, where critical infrastructure disruption is more frequent, and in many cases 'normalized' [10], there is still little understanding of how everyday practices shape urban and infrastructure resilience and how these routine practices are shaped and altered. Research on the provision of and access to infrastructure services in Southern cities provides examples of the agency and resourcefulness of urban residents [43,44]. Munro [45] for instance illustrates the role urban residents play as energy 'bricoleurs' and calls for a rethinking of electricity geographies in the Global South beyond the "infrastructure of electricity, towards an understanding of how people interact with a dynamic range of energy infrastructures."…”