The dark side of the sun: solar e-waste and environmental upgrading in the off-grid solar PV value chain

Hansen, Ulrich Elmer; Nygaard, Ivan; Maso, Mirko Dal

doi:10.4324/9781003259084-3

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, positive and negative impacts on the environment might co-exist. The case of solar panels described by Hansen et al. (2021) is a clear case in point: while the possibility to rely on renewable energies is a clear advantage, the end-of-life disposal of solar panels is a great source of concern, especially in the context of developing countries (Cross and Murray, 2018; Xu et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, positive and negative impacts on the environment might co-exist. The case of solar panels described by Hansen et al (2021) is a clear case in point: while the possibility to rely on renewable energies is a clear advantage, the end-of-life disposal of solar panels is a great source of concern, especially in the context of developing countries (Cross and Murray, 2018;Xu et al, 2018). Given this growing importance of sustainability for innovation, the study of sustainable innovation has emerged as a hot field of research, trying to understand how innovation activities and sustainability can be reconciled (Cillo et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Frugal innovation and sustainability outcomes: findings from a systematic literature review

Marchi

Pineda-Escobar²,

Howell³

et al. 2022

EJIM

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PurposeAdvance the state-of-the-art on how frugal innovation links to sustainability outcomes and based on content analysis of empirical publications in the field of frugal innovation, analyzing when and how FI is connected with social, environmental and economic outcomes.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative content analysis on empirical papers published on frugal innovation, using data visualization techniques to disclose relationships among the constructs adopted. Materials were collected following a step-wise methodology. In total, 130 articles were identified, read in depth and coded according to five main categories: context; development; implementation, adoption, diffusion; characteristics; and impacts.FindingsThe potential of frugal innovation to drive sustainability outcomes is influenced by the type of actors developing the innovation, regarding their organizational form (large firms, small firms, non-firm actors), their geographical origin (foreign or local) or motivations (mostly profit-motivated or socially-oriented). Collaboration plays a key role along the various stages of the frugal innovation cycle and is thus relevant for its potential to drive sustainability outcomes. The results reaffirm the need for greater attention to where and when sustainability-enhancing outcomes of frugal innovation are more likely to occur.Originality/valueThis study provides a qualitative study based on content analysis of empirical studies to explore the associations between frugal innovations and improved economic, environmental and social sustainability outcomes. The key novelty of this study lies in the systematic coding of each paper regarding the features of the innovation, the innovators, and the outcomes achieved. This allows taking stock of the evidence emerging in such a scattered literature, quantifying the extent to which insights take place in the empirical literature, looking for correlations, and highlight research gaps to understand to what extent frugal innovation can contribute to sustainable development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frugal innovation and sustainability outcomes: findings from a systematic literature review

Marchi

Pineda-Escobar²,

Howell³

et al. 2022

EJIM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…lighting and mobile phone charging) and even these face problems of affordability despite complex microfinance and technical arrangements (Boamah, 2020a: 2; Boamah, 2020b; Samarakoon et al., 2021). Attention to solar e‐waste has raised concerns about the environmental impact of markets for low‐cost consumer technologies and approaches to inclusive growth that hinge on non‐local forms of mass production (Cross and Murray, 2018; Hansen et al., 2021; Kumar and Turner, 2020). Meanwhile, comparative research across sub‐Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America challenges the idea that energy access for all is achievable (Kumar et al., 2019) and the presumption that access to solar energy alone can transform the lives of the poor (Furukawa, 2014; Kudo et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar Power and its Discontents: Critiquing Off‐grid Infrastructures of Inclusion in East Africa

Cross¹,

Neumark²

2021

Development and Change

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Since 2010, solar energy companies in North America and Europe have played a pivotal role in delivering clean, reliable and sustainable electricity to millions of people living off the grid across sub-Saharan Africa. However, today, off-grid solar energy in Africa is no longer seen as an unmitigated social and economic good. Inflows of private equity investment have led the employees and customers of off-grid solar companies to question the industry's commercial dynamics. Their critiques address the mis-selling of solar home systems and the technical limits of off-grid infrastructures for domestic production, framed both by dominant market paradigms and by relationships to nation, community and family. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in East Africa's off-grid solar industry, this study assembles these critical perspectives into a wider analysis of off-grid solar power as an adverse 'infrastructure of inclusion'.The authors would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their comments during this article's development, as well as Kate Meagher for feedback and editorial support with the final article. In addition, the authors would like to thank interlocutors in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as Germany, the UK and the US.

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The dark side of the sun: solar e-waste and environmental upgrading in the off-grid solar PV value chain

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Frugal innovation and sustainability outcomes: findings from a systematic literature review

Frugal innovation and sustainability outcomes: findings from a systematic literature review

Solar Power and its Discontents: Critiquing Off‐grid Infrastructures of Inclusion in East Africa

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