Includes bibliographical references. / The effect of energy on inequality and poverty is not well understood and its role in growth-inequality-poverty nexus has not been adequately studied. A country's energy mix can playa significant role in economic growth and poverty alleviation. Policy authorities and donors increasingly lend support to modem energy provision, especially Rural Electrification (RE). This thesis investigates which energy types contribute to poverty alleviation in South Africa and through what mechanisms. Theory indicates that poverty alleviation comes by growth boosting and inequality reducing policies. As such, the investigation of the pro-poor effects of any policy or factor would naturally culminate in studying the effects on economic growth (or production) and income distribution. Theory suggests endogeneity on one hand between energy and GDP and on the other between GDP and inequality. This necessitates a system of equations rather than the traditional single equations approach. There are other (South Africa-specific) reasons why the inequality-development relationship and the role of energy should be investigated. First, South Africa has been under-researched due to lack of data. Recent data released by the Presidency of South Africa (AMPS Dataset) makes such analysis possible. Secondly, the Kuznets' inequalitydevelopment hypothesis can be tested with time series data rather than the cross-section analyses found in earlier literature. Third, energy's role in economic growth or production has been analysed with aggregate energy measures and aggregate GDP. This work argues that such an approach will mask energy type-specific and sector-specific details and undertakes a more disaggregated analysis. Fourth, the multiracial nature of South Africa requires sub-group decomposed inequality rather than national aggregates.

There are two policy events that are the focus of the research: the Integrated Resource Plan of 2010 (IRP2010), and its 2013 update report. The research is mainly concerned with the political influence exerted by the identified advocacy coalitions and the political context they acted within, during the period under review: June 2010 to June 2015. The research and the analysis of findings has been guided by the Advocacy Coalitions Framework (ACF) theory. In keeping with ACF methodology, the research is based on an understanding of the preceding 10 to 15 years in order to better interpret current unfolding policy events, identify the coalitions and their activities, and ultimately present key findings that are based on empirical evidence. The narrative seeks to take account of parallel unfolding dimensions which collectively portray a noteworthy tapestry: coalition beliefs and activities, and policy events within the SA electricity supply sector over time. By the final chapter, it should be clear who exerted influence, what their dominant advocacy issues were, whether such influence was evident in policy that was promulgated, and what changed along the way. Empirical findings provide answers to the following research questions: 1. From the IRP2010 to its 2013 Update report, which were the dominant coalitions seeking to influence planning? 2. What were the dominant advocacy issues raised by these coalitions? 3. What evidence could be found for how the issues of dominant advocacy coalitions were realised in electricity policy? 4. What can be concluded and what are the implications for future electricity planning? The dissertation begins with a brief introduction of what the theoretical framework ACF would consider the energy policy system i.e. the international and the national energy and electricity governance context. ACF is then applied to understand the politics of electricity planning in South Africa, two dominant advocacy coalitions active within that sub-system, and their advocated beliefs, in order to answer the first two research questions. Chapter 5 and 6 together answer research question three. In chapter 5, ACF is applied to understand process and outcomes for the IRP2010 as promulgated. Chapter 6 considers the process and outcomes related to the IRP's 2013 update report which is not recognised in policy, and describes some of the shifts that occurred within and between coalitions and within the electricity policy sub-system by June 2015. The picture that emerges is that of an electricity sector within a new democracy that has sought to move beyond its apartheid-era policy legacies and has become characterised by decision-making based on politics rather than evidence. In answering the fourth question it is concluded that recent decision-making and planning processes in South Africa's electricity sector have undergone distinct periods of open and closed consultative process. There has been a steady opening up of process particularly during the policy period up to December 2010. From 2011 onward, a closing down of process has steadily been underway, particularly in relation to the IRP2013 update report. This has occurred at the same time as broad public support for transparent decision-making that is based on evidence had grown. While the analysis focuses on issues of ideological belief, politics and process, rather than on technology and economics, two distinct and contested electricity supply investment options related to power sector reform have dominated the advocacy beliefs and actions of the two coalitions reviewed, as well as the policy choices made by government: nuclear power on the one hand, and renewable energy on the other. These supply options and some of the issues of political economy associated with them are considered in the latter parts of the dissertation. A summary of the main findings Two high-level coalitions have dominated the IRP2010 process and its 2013 update: one favouring orthodox solutions to power supply, and the other favouring transition to a reformed power sector. The coalitions are: a. The Orthodox coalition: enjoying both greater political support for and capacity to influence the achievement of conventional economic growth. Their advocacy tended to focus on past experience and retaining the power supply status quo. b. The Reform coalition: less politically influential, and enjoying less political support. Their advocacy tended toward learning from past experience and changing the status quo. Among the issues which the two coalitions differ on, the five most contested issues were: tariffs and investment, power sector reform, climate change, nuclear power, and renewable energy. The promulgated electricity plan reflects wins and losses to both coalitions. For the IRP2010, more evidence was found of policy 'wins' for the Orthodox coalition. For the 2013 update report, more evidence was found of policy 'wins' for the Reform coalition, Nevertheless, given that the 2013 update report is not recognised in policy, it is concluded that the Orthodox coalition has been more influential in its advocacy. For the IRP 2013 update report, analysis of policy wins and losses became more complex, with alliances shifting within and between the two coalitions under review. Evidence has been found of an initial steady opening up of public consultation process in the decade preceding 2010, which later closed down steadily by June 2015. The closing down of process has been most evident to those involved in electricity planning, since mid-2010.The influential role of the Presidency, on the nuclear investment decision is perceived by electricity planning stakeholders to have begun in June 2010. The clear political support for nuclear procurement has resulted in greater unified advocacy against nuclear power, and lesser advocacy against renewable energy. The continued non-recognition of the IRP2013 update report in policy has benefited both wind power investment and new nuclear power procurement. Ultimately, the delay in the promulgation of a well-regarded, technically robust updated IRP threatens confidence in electricity planning process and is perceived by senior electricity actors to be entrenching a situation where politics is currently playing a more influential role than evidence, in South Africa's electricity planning.

Bibliography: leaves 90-93. / The primary objective of this dissertation is to describe and analyse the proposals from the different stakeholders since government called for the restructuring of the electricity supply industry (ESI) in South Africa. Secondly, this will also identify areas where there is convergence and divergence between the positions of these stakeholders. Finally, the dissertation will attempt to understand the reasons for the shift in the positions of the stakeholders.

Bibliography: leaves 152-161. / There have been major changes in the electricity supply industry in most parts of the world. In South Africa, the government intends to restructure and/or introduce competition in the ESI. The need to reform, to introduce competition and/or to privatise power utilities is primarily aimed at boosting their efficiencies, although other reform drivers such as facilitation of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and mobilisation of private capital should not be neglected. There are, however, conflicting opinions concerning ESI reform and/or privatisation in South Africa. On the one hand, the advocates of power sector reform and privatisation argue that South Africa's existing ESI is not efficient and therefore must be restructured, thereafter competition must be introduced in the industry to boost its efficiency and the quality of its supply. On the other hand, the opponents of reform and competition argue persuasively that the ESI (particularly Eskom) is performing well, because Eskom is currently selling electricity at a lower price than many (if not all) other utilities in the world while nevertheless still earning a profit. As performance improvements ultimately result in lower prices and high quality services, many attribute Eskom's comparatively low prices to an efficient operational performance and are of the opinion that the organisation does not need to be restructured. However, low operational costs do not necessarily imply that all efficiency improvements have been realised and may, in part, be due to factors such as low fuel costs. Furthermore, whilst improvements in operational performance do indeed reduce operating costs, investment efficiency, which has an even longer-term impact, reduces the proportion of capital-related costs in the electricity price. In this regard, the South African government's intention to restructure the ESI should not be mistakenly ascribed to its aim of improving Eskom's operational performance only but rather to its wish to achieve a number of objectives including improved investment efficiency and also attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).

Bibliography: leaves 49-51. / The objectives of this study were twofold The first was to locate sites where the wind is enhanced due to orographic forcing, thus having high annual average windspeeds. The WASP numerical model was used to simulate wind speeds over the Soetanysberg, a coastal hill approximately 20 km west of Cape Agulhas. The average annual wind speed was predicted to be 11.4 m/s at 50m a.g.l at this site. This is a 24% increase over the wind measured at the Cape Agulhas lighthouse for the same height. The predicted theoretical power of 2019 W/m2, was more than twice the average power that occurs at the lighthouse. The second aim was to validate the numerical model. This was achieved by measuring wind speeds, using a TALA Kite, at a number of prospective sites on the Soetanysberg and at Cape Agulhas. The wind speed values from Cape Agulhas were then used by the numerical model to make velocity predictions at the sites and these results were compared with the measured values. It was found that the numerical model performed well. Two indicators were used to compare the results; the error of predictions (m) and the correlation coefficient (r). The average error of the predictions was 7%, with a maximum error of 15.4℅, and it was found that the model tended to underestimate the wind speed when it erred. The measured velocity profile, was correlated with the predicted velocity profile and 'r' was found to range between 0.68 and 0.87 for eight of the mine sites.

Bibliography: leaves 119-121. / This thesis deals with the effects of cooling and heat losses in internal combustion engines. The object of this work was to examine and research various cooling concepts and methods to reduce heat loss to engine coolant, improve thermal efficiency and to predict heat transfer values for these alternatives. The optimum system to be considered for possible application to small rural stationary engines. A literature survey was undertaken, covering work performed in the field of internal combustion engine cooling. Besides the conventional cooling system, two concepts emerged for consideration. These were the precision cooling system and the new heat pipe concept, the latter being relatively unknown for internal combustion cooling application. The precision cooling system, consists of a series of small bore tubes conducting coolant only to the critical areas of an engine. The theory being that in the conventional systems many regions are overcooled, resulting in excessive heat loss. The heat pipe is a device of very high thermal conductance and normally consists of a sealed tube containing a small quantity of fluid. Under operating conditions the tubular container becomes an evaporator region in the heat input area and a condenser region in the heat-out area. It is therefore basically a thermal flux transformer,attached to the object to be cooled. The heat pipe performance is also capable of being modulated by varying its system pressure. This is a positive feature for internal combustion engine application in controlling detonation and NOx emissions. Various facts were obtained from the literature survey and considered in the theoretical review. These facts were extended into models, predicting the heat transfer performance of each concept in terms of coolant heat outflow and heat transfer coefficients. The experimental apparatus was based on an automotive cylinder head with heated oil passing through the combustion chamber and exhaust port to simulate combustion gases. Experiments were conducted on this apparatus to validate the predicted theoretical performance of the three concepts. Tests were also made to observe the effect of heat pipe modulation and nucleate boiling in the precision system. Concept theory was validated as shown by the experimental and test results. The performance for each system approximated the predicted heat transfer and heat loss values. By comparison of the heat input, coolant heat outflow values and heat transfer coefficients it was found that the precision system was the most efficient, followed by the heat pipe and the conventional system being the least efficient. It was concluded that the heat loss tests provided a valuable insight into the heat transfer phenomenon as applied to the three systems investigated. This work also illustrated the effects of the variation of coolant flow, velocity and influence of nucleate boiling. This thesis has shown the potential of the systems tested, for controlling heat losses in internal combustion engines. The research work has created a data base for further in-depth evaluation and development of the heat pipe and the precision cooling system. Based on the findings of the experimental work done on this project, several commercial applications exist for the heat pipe and precision cooling systems. Further in-depth research is recommended to extend their potential in the automotive industry.

The South African Government has ambitious aspirations relating to energy efficiency in their commercial building stock, but no clear strategy for tackling existing buildings. This research redresses this by examining international approaches to the benchmarking process and applies these in the context of South Africa.

Not only does Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest number of people who live below the poverty line, the region has the lowest rate of modern energy access at 32%. The provision of modern energy access in rural un-electrified areas has the potential to contribute to alleviation of poverty. The main objective of this study has therefore been to investigate the impact of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) in poverty alleviation in Uganda. The paper focuses on the impact on four socio-economic categories namely: economic, education, health and gender equity. Our study was carried out in Kebisoni, Uganda. The main finding from our study is that access to solar power does indeed alleviate poverty. The data indicated an increase in households' disposable income due to the use of solar energy for lighting. Savings were generated from a reduced expenditure on alternative lighting fuels such as kerosene. Some households used these savings to meet medically related expenses. Furthermore, our results revealed that there was an improvement in indoor air quality. Children in solar electricity connected households benefited, as they were now able to increase their hours of study at night. Lastly, the study also revealed that access to lighting from SHSs enabled women to supplement household income by engaging in businesses.

Energy poverty undermines development at a large scale. It is most overtly experienced in informal settlements, where the use of fuels like paraffin, charcoal and wood prove hazardous and harmful to health and wellbeing. The expenditure on and use of energy services in informal settlements are largely undefined, which severely undermines the success of energy access and safety initiatives. Despite the poverty of informal settlements, mobile phone ownership is high in these areas. This research aims to explore the potential and applicability of a digital data collecting systems using a mobile application that is accessible on entry-level mobile phones with basic internet access to collect information about energy access, affordability and multiple fuel use in these areas. As part of this research, a mobile application platform and data collection platform was developed which enables survey design and data collection in real time. The platform allows for creation of weekly surveys that question energy use, expenditure and affordability; it also offers other functions that are designed to increase awareness of fuel safety and efficiency. The application was piloted in lmizamo Yethu in Cape Town. Six weeks of continuous data was extracted from 200 users using airtime incentives with an overall reach of 306 households. The quality and quantity of data received was of high calibre. The results indicate that the potential for using this system and mobile phones as a data-collecting tool in Africa is high.

Over the past decade, a strong business case has been established for the exploitation ofrenewable energy sources (hereinafter referred to as RES) due to ongoing falling costs and the recognition by many countries that renewable energy presents the pathway to global energy transformation, energy security, and abatement of climate change. Furthermore, renewables can bridge the gap for energy-poor societies, thus creating opportunities for sustainable livelihoods for the millions of people who lack energy access throughout the global economy. However, despite these desirable outcomes, there are risks involved in the application of renewable energy that have understated the scale and strength at which they can be implemented. This dissertation is a political risk analysis of the renewable energy sector in South Africa, based on the 2011 government programme designed to attract investment in grid-based renewable energy generation. A political risk analysis studies a broad spectrum of identified factors and their impact on foreign direct investment for a chosen sector. The Albert Venter (2005) model will be used as a framework of analysis. This is an indigenous model that focuses on South Africa as it positions itself favourably for foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and participates actively in the global economy. Using this model, this dissertation reveals the political risks and complexities relating to the implementation of South Africa’s policy driven renewable energy projects through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP). Risks relate to regulatory risks, socioeconomic risks, and the impact of global market changes on the local environment as well as the potential of political interference from government institutions. Corrupt practices such as those surrounding an oscillating nuclear deal, the desire to maintain monopoly in state owned Eskom and the tensions that emerge as a result of a historically unequal society where there is unequal land distribution and access to the grid, manifest in South Africa’s energy sector leading to a curtailment of FDI in the energy sector. Based on the above-mentioned pointers, South Africa displays friction as government navigates international and local concerns that are at odds with the advancement of a robust renewable energy sector and its implied effect on foreign direct investment amidst an environment of limited capital in the country.