Kenya is at the forefront of a socioeconomic transformation, aiming to turn into an industrialized middle income country by 2030. Kenya Vision 2030 has identified energy as a key foundation and one of the infrastructural “enablers” upon which the economic, social and political pillars of this long-term development strategy will be built. Predicting the future of energy systems however, involves risks due to various uncertainties. Therefore, systematic energy planning at national and sub-national/County level is highly recommended through the adoption of more realistic assumptions on the future evolution and profile of demand and robust pre-feasibility of prospective projects including the integration of renewable energy sources, which the country is endowed with. This thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the energy sector for Kakamega County in Western Kenya. The current energy demand level was estimated for six selected sectors of the County namely Residential, Industrial, Transportation, Commercial, Public and Agricultural. Additionally, the renewable energy resources potential was assessed at local level using GIS and other available data. LEAP software was used in order to model and project the energy demand and supply based on three 15-year scenarios till 2030, developed to support the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the County. This study intended to create a framework aiming to facilitate sub-national energy planning in developing countries and it is expected that the findings will be complementary to already existing energy planning models but also the base for future research towards energy poverty elimination.

One of the many challenges humanity faces is developing energy access in a sustainable manner, that does not further contribute to the burning of fossil fuels, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming. In 2020, 2.4 billion people used inefficient and polluting cooking systems due to lack of energy access while 25% of schools lacked access to electricity, drinking water and basic sanitation. This thesis seeks to investigate this challenge by using satellite imagery big data to improve energy access in a sustainable manner.The theoretical framework explains the key concepts and outlines the theoretical underpinnings of this research in transformative social innovation theory and behavioural theory which help guide the analysis. The link between this research and existing research is also explained in this section. The methodology used will be to research review articles and choose the most appropriate and credible texts to answer two research questions. The first challenge relates to identifying promising applications of satellite imagery big data in improving energy access, and the second relates to explaining how we can ensure that development of energy access from satellite imagery is conducted in a sustainable manner.The primary findings of this research are that there are a number of credible review articles which contain real opportunities for improved energy access and include identifying optimum photovoltaics investment locations, identifying optimum small hydropower plant sites, CAM plant cultivation locations, an indicator to directly address sustainable energy investments and rural electricity access needs, and mapping of remote off-grid homes for improvement of energy access. The findings also indicated three key factors that are crucial for the sustainable development of energy access which include communication, collaboration, and community.There are a number of varied applications of satellite imagery big data discovered that each exhibit significant value in improving energy access. The value that can be gained is closely related to the ability of the research community, to engage with local actors, to build a collaborative environment, where knowledge is shared, and community is built.

The importance of access to modern energy has been well understood by governments and donor agencies in many developing countries, and significant effort has been made in recent years to address energy access challenges. However, despite these efforts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that the energy access problem will remain unresolved by 2030. Therefore, adequate and appropriate action is needed to resolve this problem more quickly. This dissertation analyses policies and their impacts and will help researchers and policy makers in developing countries to (i) understand the impact of policies in the formation of a renewable energy (RE) market, (ii) consider the determinants of technological choices when promoting access to energy services and, (iii) better appreciate the sustainability performance of rural energy. For the purpose of analysis, several country cases from Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa region were carried out as these are the two main regions where the energy access problem are most acute. To understand the impact of policies in the formation of RE based rural electrification market, a case study was conducted in Nepal. The study has shown that rural electrification has been expanding as a consequence of market-oriented policies. When it comes to selection of electrification path-ways, different technological alternatives are analysed in Afghanistan and Nepal, taking levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) as the means to select cost effective options. The analysis has presented best-fit conditions for these various technological pathways in the two countries and verified whether they are following the appropriate and cost effective course in their efforts to expand rural electrification. For understanding the determinants of cooking fuel choices and to analyse policy implications in the transition of large populations from traditional to modern fuels, fuel choices are modelled in the case of China. Choices are modelled (using MESSAGE–ACCESS mod-el) with standard economic variables such as income, technology costs and fuel prices, along with some unique variable such as inconvenience costs. Future access scenarios are designed considering different policy options to accelerate the transition. Sustainability is one of the key concerns in terms of energy access. This dissertation introduces methods for evaluating (i) the sustainability performance of energy technologies and (ii) the status and progress of developing countries in providing sustainable energy access. Different sets of sustainability indicators are considered for the rural energy sector and aggregated to form a single composite index. The energy technology sustainability index (ETSI) is used for assessing the performance of different energy technological systems in the case of India. The analysis reveals that mature technologies such as biomass gasifiers, biogas and micro hydro have relatively better sustainability performance among the options considered, while solar and wind, though showing fairly good improvement in sustainability performance, still have difficulties competing with more mature and conventional technologies without policy support. The Energy Sustainability Index (ESI) has been applied to China, India, South Africa, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh and Ghana between 1990 and 2010 to evaluate the status and progress made by these countries in rural energy sustainability. The analysis suggests that South Africa’s rural energy sustainability index is highest followed by China, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Ghana respectively. The rural energy sustainability has improved relatively over time in all countries except Ghana. The dissertation shows that policies are helping the rapid expansion of the RE market though with uneven penetration in rural Nepal. Access to credit and cumbersome subsidy delivery mechanism are perceived as the major factors affecting the expansion of rural electrification, requiring innovation. The electrification pathways taken by Nepal seem functional and moving in the right direction but some flaws in the delivery mechanisms require attention. Meanwhile in Afghanistan, pathways are not well defined and the country lacks a clear-cut national policy framework for the expansion of rural electrification. The analysis on fuel transition shows that even a fast developing country such as China will continue to have serious problems guaranteeing the access to solid fuels for cooking for one third of its rural population by 2030. The problem could be more severe in poorer nations. There-fore, further policy intervention addressing the high implicit discount rate of the poorer section of the population, reducing the upfront cost of more efficient technology (stoves) or the costs of cleaner fuels with subsidies must be considered to promote energy transition. Overall, this dissertation has analysed key issues in the global discussion about sustainable energy access. The methods for sustainability assessment suggested have been specially designed for rural settings in developing countries and are instrumental to assess the performance of rural energy technologies and track the progress of sustainable energy access efforts among rural households. / <p>QC 20140210</p>

Today, energy access is a significant challenge all over the world, particularly in African countries. At the same time, providing energy access is generally accepted as a way to promote sustainable development. In countries such as Uganda, lack of energy access is evident. In this country only 9% of households have access to electricity. About 87% of these households are located in rural and remote areas. Thus, off-grid rural electrification solutions are required to supply electricity services to a significant part of the population.The ultimate objective of this thesis is to propose a specific solution to cover basic energy needs of the rural population considering environmental, social and economic benefits. How can sustainable life solutions be provided in rural areas, by using the energy surplus from a decentralized small-scale biomass gasification power plant? The analysis used as a starting point the Green Plant Concept, which considers the design of a sustainable off-grid platform that produces energy to provide life solutions and also to excite local entrepreneurship in the rural sites where it is implemented. The concept implies participation of the private sector – a telecommunication company – which is a unique feature in the context of rural energization.To develop our analysis, a field trip has been conducted in Uganda, Africa, to answer sub-questions such as How to reach a cost-effective system? How to adapt a business oriented approach to the community’s life-style in order to be well accepted? How to foster the development of the area by having a positive socio-economic impact on society? How to create an environmental friendly solution? How to achieve the maximum efficiency in terms of reusing waste? Tools such as Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and SWOT analysis were used to interpret collected information and identify impacts of the suggested solutions.The research has shown the great potential of the Green Plan Concept. We conclude by selecting three applications that can enhance the provision of basic energy needs while creating benefits for the stakeholders involved in the process: i) Mini-Grid solutions, ii) Battery Charging Stations and iii) Heat Pipe Exchangers. We also highlighted the relevance of bringing, in addition to appropriated technologies, different stakeholders together, considering their common interests.The research is finalized by estimating the payback period based on the current and expected energy consumption and the capital investment related to the suggested applications. It is important to highlight that the payback time estimations do not include the participation of the telecom companies. This means that the estimated payback period of 7 years could be significantly reduced by the inclusion of this stakeholder.

Rural energy access has been a persistent issue in India causing the country to become one of the most energy poor nations of the world. Despite the launch of several heavily funded programs for the provision of electricity and modern fuels to rural areas, majority of the country‘s village households remain neglected and deficient in energy. Calls have been made for the reconstruction of policies, programs and institutional frameworks that engage in dispersion of energy to the rural poor. Such policies, programs and institutional frameworks vary across different states within India. These differences need to be understood in depth to formulate suitable mechanisms for energy access. In particular, social and economic aspects of energy access need to be studied to overcome barriers in providing energy to the rural poor. This study discerns how different states are performing in terms of providing sustainable energy access to rural people. It conducts an analysis of the socio-economic sustainability of energy access to the rural household in six states of the country (Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal) over the course of two time periods(1996-2002, 2005-2011), with the aid of key performance indicators. Results indicate that all the states have improved their energy access conditions over the past few decades. However, the rates of growth are vastly different and some states still continue to remain highly inadequate in their performances. Punjab has consistently been the most successful state while West Bengal continues to be the most energy-poor state despite a reasonable growth in energy sustainability. The possible reasoning behind these disparities could be dissimilarity in economic development between the states, size and population density of the states, isolation of villages and ineffectiveness and inequity of subsidy schemes. These needs further exploration at individual state level. Transition to less-expensive and easily installable renewable technologies, communicating benefits of modern energy to rural population and channeling subsidies towards lower income groups can improve reach of modern energy towards the rural poor of India.

Climate finance is becoming an increasingly important aspect of climate change action, and massive sums are estimated to be required to mitigate further increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Mitigation projects supported by climate finance further have the possibility to increase access to modern energy services in countries where these are lacking. Focusing on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the fund’s climate finance projects committed to enhancing energy access, this study investigates the complexities related to climate finance projects and what possible justice implications climate finance might result in. The area of focus in the study is the African continent, and the aspect of energy justice, specifically energy access equity. The study uses qualitative document analysis and reflexive thematic analysis along with an energy justice lens and framework, to analyse aspects of energy justice in six approved funding proposals of the GFCs energy generation and access portfolio. The results reveal three major overarching themes of a strong focus on private sector enhancement, where risk management and return on investments are common patterns in the approved funding proposals, site selection criteria that focus on financial viability and market potential, and a strong focus on finding a balance between affordability and profits. Resulting from this is likely to be an enhancement of energy access for the middle and low-income population in Africa, however, the results of the study show that energy justice implications resulting from the planned projects, particularly in terms of energy access equity are likely to arise. The themes found in the documents are likely to result in both distributive and recognition justice implications specifically affecting individuals, households and social groups living in extreme poverty or in areas deemed as undesirable for investments. It further highlights the need to consider already marginalised groups in society and not only financial viability of projects to attract private sector involvement. The study concludes that while private finance is positive in terms of climate finance, a balance between private and public finance is of importance, and increased focus must be put on the fairness and equity of energy access projects supported by climate finance from the Green Climate Fund.

Although Indonesia’s electrification ratio reached 99.2% in 2020, it has shown stagnating electrification since 2018. This is because most of the remaining areas that need to be electrified are remote and have unique characteristics that hamper implementation of microgrids for providing energy access. Furthermore, not only the deployment but also the long-term sustainability of microgrids is crucial for ensuring continuity of energy access. This paper aims to investigate the scaling and sustainability challenges of remote microgrid development in Indonesia by analyzing microgrids in the Maluku and North Maluku provinces. This study is a two-part publication; the first part focuses on identifying challenges in Indonesia’s remote microgrid development, while the second part focuses on potential technology solutions. In the first part, an assessment of energy access within a multi-tier framework was conducted, which was then analyzed using a multi-dimensional (institutional, social, technical, economic, environmental, and policy) approach adapted from the literature. The framework was expanded by mapping the challenges onto specific phases of the microgrid development, which is intended to be helpful for the parties involved in specific phases. It is shown that the challenges related to unclear land status, lack of social engagement, preliminary survey, technical and practical knowledge, and O&M procedures—especially for remote microgrids with renewable energy sources—are the most prominent issues. Additionally, issues caused by electrical events and environmental conditions such as relatively humid and high-temperatures, and uncontrolled vegetation, rodents, insects, and lizards are often found. Furthermore, a high-level technological outlook to address some of these issues is presented.

This research investigates what rural villagers perceive as important and develops recommendations for improved electrification project implementation centring on user-perceived values (UPVs). UPVs capture more than the basic definition of value in the sense that they include benefits, concerns, feelings and underlying drivers that vary in importance and act as the main motivators in the lives of project beneficiaries as perceived at a given time. Low access to energy continues in rural sub-Saharan Africa despite significant investment by the development community. One fundamental reason is that energy infrastructure adoption remains low, as evidenced by the lack of project sustainability. To counter this, the challenge for energy project developers is to achieve sustainable long-term interventions through the creation of value for beneficiaries, rather than the traditional approach of focusing on short-term project outputs. The question of what is valuable to people in rural communities has historically not played into the design and diffusion of energy infrastructure development projects. This research drew on design and marketing approaches from the commercial sector to investigate the UPVs of rural Ugandans. To better understand the UPVs of rural villagers a new method, consisting of a UPV game and UPV framework, was developed. This method is suitable for capturing, understanding and mapping what rural populations perceive as important. Case study analyses were carried out in seven villages across rural Uganda. The case studies included the UPV game supplemented by non-energy-specific and energy-specific interviews with villagers. Additionally, interviews with experts were conducted to verify the UPV framework and to identify the gap between experts’ opinion and villagers’ perception of what is important. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of the UPV game in deducing the values of rural villagers. The findings demonstrate a disconnect in the ability to accurately capture and design projects which resonate with and respond to the UPVs of recipients of rural electrification projects. A comparison between the villagers’ statements and experts’ opinion regarding what is most valuable to rural communities reveals striking differences that point to a fundamental misunderstanding of rural community UPVs which are likely to be contributing to widespread electrification project failure.

In Gaza, daily blackouts have lasted for over eleven years. Until recently, Palestinian families have received only four hours of power each day. Since Israel’s withdrawal from the region in 2005, the political discourse around the Right of Return has forced refugees to live in terrible conditions and darkness. The fear was that any transformation of the camps will bring about an integration of the refugee community with the local environment and thus any improvements to Gaza’s infrastructure and housing was seen as a direct erosion of the Right of Return. Can bringing light to Gaza transcend this boundary of temporality and restore hope to this impoverished community? With recent solar lighting ideas emerging to help solve Gaza’s energy shortage by solar energy companies such as SunBox and LittleSun, I plan to develop a solar urban lighting project for Gaza’s smallest refugee camp - Deir al-Balah (DEB) - to help improve security at night for residents and provide the community with opportunities to socialise in public common areas. In response to an ‘Improvement Plan’ conducted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in 2017, which identifies DEB camp’s limited access to electricity and street lighting, I’d like to explore how a solar and ecologically-sensitive lighting programs can improve Gazan’s daily lives, by bringing clean, reliable and affordable energy access.

In 2019, 770 million people worldwide lived without electricity. As many as 490 million people could be electrified with 210,000 mini-grids by 2030. Obtaining information for decision-making is crucial to determine the viability of such a project. Currently, it is a major challenge for mini-grid developers to gather this information at the speed and scale necessary to make effective investment choices. Village Data Analytics (VIDA) is a decision-making tool used for mini-grid project planning and site selection. This paper presents a method to estimate the cost of a mini-grid distribution network on a site-by-site basis. This method can estimate the total demand, potential connections, distribution infrastructure components and corresponding costs for each site. The model can make predictions for 50 sites within two hours so the tool is especially useful for preliminary estimates in the planning phase. A more detailed study of the individual sites is recommended. Comparison with a benchmark has shown that on-site conditions often reveal activities that can only be captured by a survey. However, collecting on-site data is time-consuming and costly. Therefore, GIS and modelling tools can serve as a good approximation of the on-ground reality and are relevant to accelerate planning and support timely decision-making. / 2019 levde 770 miljoner människor världen över utan elektricitet. Så många som 490 miljoner människor skulle kunna elektrifieras med 210 000 mininät till 2030. Att få information för beslutsfattande är avgörande för att avgöra om ett sådant projekt är lönsamt. För närvarande är det en stor utmaning för utvecklare av mininät att samla in denna information i den hastighet och skala som krävs för att göra effektiva investeringsval. Village Data Analytics (VIDA) är ett beslutsfattande verktyg som används för projektering av mininät och platsval. Det här dokumentet presenterar en metod för att uppskatta kostnaden för ett distributionsnät för mininät på plats för plats. Denna metod kan uppskatta den totala efterfrågan, potentiella anslutningar, komponenter för distribution sinfrastruktur och motsvarande kostnader för varje plats. Modellen kan göra förutsägelser för 50 platser inom två timmar, så verktyget är särskilt användbart för preliminära uppskattningar i planeringsfasen. En mer detaljerad studie av de enskilda platserna rekommenderas. Jämförelse med ett riktmärke har visat att förhållanden på plats ofta avslöjar aktiviteter som bara kan fångas genom en undersökning. Men att samla in data på plats är tidskrävande och kostsamt. Därför kan GIS- och modelleringsverktyg fungera som en bra approximation av verkligheten på marken och är relevanta för att påskynda planering och stödja beslutsfattande i rätt tid.