Doctorat en sciences appliquées / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

A research report submitted in partial partial compliance compliance with the requirements for the Master's Diploma in Technology: Electrical Engineering, M.L.Sultan Technikon, 1995. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the most cost effective way of electrifying rural areas in the Transkei concentrating in the district of Lady Frere. One Administrative Area (A.A) was used for research. Questionnaires were send to people of this area where a like rat format was followed. For the purpose of this study, 20 families were randomly selected for investigation. / M

Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies. / MPM

This study examines the history and growth of the B-K Electric Cooperative in Seymour Texas, as well as its economic impact on the surrounding rural areas.

This study seeks to examine the history of the Denton County Electric Co-operative and the Rural Electrification Administration, as well as the effect they had on electrifying rural agriculture sites.

This study was made to show the economic growth of the rural area served by the Cooke County Electric Co-Operative association, as well as its history. Locally, the Cooke County Electric Co-operative Association owes a large part of its success to the ability of the rural people to help themselves. In this thinly populated section of the country they have built a successful business where established power companies claimed that it would be impossible. Although the number of farmers continues to decrease, the demand for power continues to increase. The members of the Cooke County Co-operative are proud of their co-operative and are always happy to tell of their accomplishments. At the last memberships meeting a large majority of the members were present.

Previous studies have shown that provision of sustainable electricity supply to rural households is essential to bring development to off-grid populations. For this reason, most developing countries put large efforts into rural electrification programs to stimulate development and reduce poverty. However, to be sustainable these programs need to recover costs, which poses a challenge to remote low income populations.  This often forces governments and other institutions involved in rural electrification to subsidize the electricity production. It also affects the choice of technology and places a barrier on the level of energy provided in line with the ability to pay for services. As a result of this, most programs have failed to achieve the desired objectives, as the technologies used often do not support income generating activities that could increase the payment capabilities of the beneficiaries and contribute to development. This thesis is focused on the rural electrification program of South Africa, the country in sub-Saharan Africa that has the highest access to electricity. It investigates the success elements that influence the sustainability of rural electrification programs and their contributions to socio-economic development. This was achieved by evaluating the South African program that provides solar home systems to off-grid communities, and a hybrid solar-wind mini-grid project in South Africa. The study also draw lessons from other rural electrification programs in neighbouring countries, i.e. an evaluation of a hybrid solar-diesel mini-grid system in Namibia, and a review of two systems, a hybrid solar-biomass mini-grid project in Botswana and a hydro mini-grid program in Lesotho. The study revealed that hydro based hybrid mini-grid systems provide the most cost effective way of bringing energy services to rural settlements. Regardless of technology, successful programs depend on adequate support from the government, implementation of a progressive tariff system that allows the high consuming high income earners and businesses, to cross subsidize the low consuming , low income users. It shows that it is more likely for rural electrification programs to survive if the design considers the existing businesses, population growth and the corresponding load increase. The thesis further shows that provision of sufficient energy to induce income generating activities is essential to decrease the need for subsidies and to ensure the sustainability of programs. In addition, availability of spare parts and a capable management team is essential for the successful operations and maintenance of these systems.

Published Article / This study investigates the use of off-grid micro-hydrokinetic river system as a cost-effective and sustainable electricity supply option for remote rural residents in close proximity to flowing water and not having access to grid electricity. This hydrokinetic technology is still in the development stage and there is a lack of application especially in rural areas with reasonable water resource. This study will present the economic and environmental benefits of the proposed system. A mathematical model is developed to simulate the system performance as submitted to different solicitations. A test prototype will also be used in order to validate the simulation results.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The question of energy supply and reliable sources of energy is a topical issue in most developing countries, as the reliability of energy supply has a significant impact on development. Swaziland, like most underdeveloped countries in sub-Saharan Africa, suffers from poverty and low economic activity, particularly in the rural areas. The kingdom's rural areas are characterised by low entrepreneurial activities, which may be attributed to the lack of reliable access to energy, and in particular, electricity. To reverse the scourge of stagnant economic development, Swaziland, like many other developing countries in Africa including South Africa and Zimbabwe, has introduced rural electrification programmes to improve access to energy within rural communities. Against this background, the purpose of this study, therefore, is to assess how rural electrification promotes entrepreneurship in rural areas.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to establish a tangible metric by which to evaluate the impact of modern energy access on the livelihoods of rural Sub-Sahara African communities. The narrative is set in Tsumkwe, a remote rural Namibian location some 596 km north-east from the main capital city Windhoek. Initiatives aimed at rural electrification and energy provision are expected to reduce poverty as well as contribute to the community’s general wellbeing. However, determining the relationship between energy and development is quite a challenging undertaking. An analysis that is either exclusively quantitative or qualitative runs the risk of providing a skewed picture of the energy-development-poverty nexus. In this thesis, quantitative data is embedded within qualitative data as an attempt to examine the nexus and to translate how intervention programmes are transformed into outcomes in order to gauge success of a project. The transformative paradigm shaped the theoretical framework and informed the mixed-method research approach while the capability approach was used to analyse plurality and individualisation of policy impacts. Consequently, the role of place is positioned at the centre in gauging experiences of the poor vis-à-vis the importance of locating resources and capabilities to address socio-economic issues within a geographical location. The injustice of energy poverty can be viewed as unequal access to energy services (i.e. distributional injustice) as well as an intervention that failed to recognise the needs of certain groups and potentiality offered by place. From this, the concept of an energy poverty penalty is qualitatively developed. It was found that the penalty, although it is more pronounced in the low income groups, is exacerbated by choice offered in an energy basket thus affecting non-income poor households too. Therefore, the energy poor are not necessarily income-poor. It is finally concluded that while sustainable energy interventions offer the possibility to reduce energy poverty and the attendant human wellbeing index improvement they need to be grounded in a robust information base to track progress towards targets. Most existing indicators and composite indices assessing access to energy, the degree of development related to energy and deprivation of access to modern energy fail to account for the energy poverty trap. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om ‘n tasbare meting daar te stel om die impak to toegang to moderne energie daar te stel in landelike gebied in sub-Sahara Afrika te evalueer. Die studie is uitgevore in Tsumkwe, ‘n afgeleë landelike gebied in Namibië, sowat 596 km noordoos van die hoofstad, Windhoek. Daar word veronderstel dat inisiatiewe wat daargestel word om energie en elektrisiteit toeganglik te maak vir landelike gebiede en gemeenskappe, verarming sal teewerk en gemeenskappe kan ophef. Dit is egter moelik om die verhouding tussen energie verskaffing and vooruitgang te bepaal. ‘n Studie wat net kwalitatief of kwantitatief gebaseer is, sal nie die ware toedrag van sake uitlig nie. In hierdie tesis is kwalitatiewe data verweef met kwantitatiewe data om vas te stel presies hoe effektief programme is wat daargestel is om energie aan landelike gebiede te lewer. Die transformatiewe paradigma het die teoretiese raamwerk gevorm en gelei tot die kombinasiemetode navorsingsbenadering terwyl die moontlikheids benadering gebruik is om die pluraliteit en individualisering van die beleidsimpakte te ontleed. Gevolglik, is die rol van plek in die middelpunt van die ondervindings van die armes vis-à-vis die belangrikheid van die verkryging van hulpbronne en vermoë om sosio-ekonomiese kwessies binne ‘n geografiese ligging te hanteer. Die feit dat landelike gebiede verarm is wat energie en elektrisiteit voorsiening betref, kan toegeskryf word aan die volgende: ongelyke toegang to energie dienste, programme wat nie die behoeftes van landelike gemeenskappe aanspreek nie en die potensiaal van plek waar die program aangepak word is nie voldoende aangespreek nie. In die lig van hierdie potensiële oorsake van energie verarming is die konsep energie aarmoede boete kwaliteitsgewys ontwikkel. Dit is gevind dat die boete, wat meer van toepassing is op lae inkomste groep is, beinvloed word deur die keuse wat beskikbaar gemaak is in terme van energie voorsiening. Hierdie keuse het ook ‘n invloed op die “geen-inkomste” arm groep in ‘n gemeenskap. Dit is dus duidelik dat diegene wat energie verarm nie noodwending geldelik ook verarm is nie. Die studie, ter opsomming, het tot die slotsom gekom dat hoewel tussenkomende programme wat daar gestel word om volhoubare projekte aan te bied vir energie voorsiening in landelike gebiede, energie verarming kan verminder, dit nie effektief genoeg is tensy dit opgevolg word met duidelike doelwitte nie. Die bestaanded aanduidings vir toegang tot energie, aanduidings wat energie toegang en vooruitgang evalueer is nie werklik effektief genoeg nie.