scholarly journals The Electrification-Appliance Uptake Gap: Assessing the Off-Grid Appliance Market in Rwanda Using the Multi-Tier Framework

Author(s):  
Olivia Muza

The structure of the electricity system includes universal access to electricity that is adequate, available, reliable, affordable, legal, convenient, healthy, and safe and the efficient (inefficient) use of the electricity. Quality of access also influences clean energy technologies and electrical appliance purchase, ownership, use and perceived value (uptake, hereafter). Also, improved uptake assists in closing systemic gaps between rural and urban areas and grid and off-grid communities. Rwanda is projected to attain full electrification by 2024 (inclusive of all sectors: consumptive, productive and services). In this context, the East African country has articulated support mechanisms for off-grid market players through technical assessments and siting incentives. However, studies that focus on characterising diffusion and uptake of clean energy technologies and electrical appliances in mini-grid sites (market) are crucial to understand the emerging trends in off-grid rural electrification. This chapter contributes to this emerging discourse by proposing a four-fold demand side characterisation approach which (i) conducts a systemic review of literature to identify emerging off-grid themes as they relate to the multi-tier framework (MTF) and vice-versa, (ii) uses existing data to characterise the off-grid market (based on a typical village load), (iii) demonstrates the tariff regime changes using two payment methodologies (willingness to pay (WTP) and ability to pay (ATP)) and (iv) projects the 2024–2032 consumptive energy demand (using a simplified relation between appliance, it’s rating and duration of use). Results of this characterisation demonstrate global and local level (glo-cal) literature gaps meriting a localised MTF assessment. The purpose of the localised assessment reported in this Chapter was therefore to understand appliance uptake gaps at the user level. The typical village load is basic (implying low energy demand). Ceteris paribus, higher WTP and ATP by users yield higher tariffs. However, a high ATP is a business sustainability determinant than a high WTP. Because energy consumption is also dependent on how efficiently it is used by those with access, the Chapter discusses appliance efficiency as a partial definition of sustainable energy and also as an example of sustainable energy. Then, demand stimulation pathways addressing wider systemic opportunities at the intersection of the theory of change and the theory of agency and risk reduction in markets, investments and policy (derisking markets, investments and policy) are discussed. The first pathway focuses on women and youth participation in productive use activities. The second pathway highlights strategies for appliance financing such as cost-sharing and micro-credit. The final pathway considers economic activity stimulation which has multiplier effects on energy demand and consequently energy-using appliances uptake. The implications for Sustainable Citizens and markets, investments and policy innovations are contextualised in the Sustainable Energy Utility business model.

The Death of Industrial Civilization explains how the contemporary ecological crisis within industrial society is caused by the values inherent in unlimited economic growth and competitive materialism. It demonstrates the central role and importance of electricity, and what policy makers need to do in order to ensure that current and future systems remain reliable even as they are transformed by the rise of clean energy technologies. The novel COVID19 pandemic has created an unprecedented global health and economic crisis. The result of such a scenario is that energy demand contracts by 6%, the largest in 70 years in percentage terms and the largest ever in absolute terms. The impact of Covid19 on energy demand in 2020 would be more than seven times larger than the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on global energy demand and this is what the Olduvai theory is defined by e=energy production/population. It states that the life expectancy of Industrial Civilization is less than or equal to 100 years.


Author(s):  
Andrei Mircea Bolboaca

Covering the energy demands under environmental protection and satisfying economic and social restrictions, together with decreasing polluting emissions, are impetuous necessities, considering that over half of the pollutant emissions released in the environment are the effect of the processes of electricity and heat production from the classic thermoelectric powerplant. Increasing energy efficiency and intensifying the use of alternative resources are key objectives of global policy. In this context, a range of new energy technologies has been developed, based on alternative energy conversion systems, which have recently been used more and more often for the simultaneous production of electricity and heat. An intensification of the use of combined energy production correlated with the tendency towards the use of clean energy resources can be helpful in achieving the global objectives of increasing fuel diversity and ensuring energy demand. The chapter aims at describing the fuel cell technology, in particular those of the SOFC type, used in the CHP for stationary applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Segun E. Ibitoye ◽  
Tien-Chien Jen ◽  
Rasheedat M. Mahamood ◽  
Esther T. Akinlabi

AbstractThe global demand for sustainable energy is increasing due to urbanization, industrialization, population, and developmental growth. Transforming the large quantities of biomass resources such as agro-residues/wastes could raise the energy supply and promote energy mix. Residues of biomass instituted in the rural and industrial centers are enormous, and poor management of these residues results in several indescribable environmental threats. The energy potential of these residues can provide job opportunities and income for nations. The generation and utilization of dissimilar biomass as feedstock for energy production via densification could advance the diversity of energy crops. An increase in renewable and clean energy demand will likely increase the request for biomass residues for renewable energy generation via densification. This will reduce the environmental challenges associated with burning and dumping of these residues in an open field. Densification is the process of compacting particles together through the application of pressure to form solid fuels. Marketable densification is usually carried out using conventional pressure-driven processes such as extrusion, screw press, piston type, hydraulic piston press, roller press, and pallet press (ring and flat die). Based on compaction, densification methods can be categorized into high-pressure, medium-pressure, and low-pressure compactions. The common densification processes are briquetting, pelletizing, bailing, and cubing. They manufacture solid fuel with desirable fuel characteristics—physical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, and combustion characteristics. Fuel briquettes and pellets have numerous advantages and applications both in domestic and industrial settings. However, for biomass to be rationally and efficiently utilized as solid fuel, it must be characterized to determine its fuel properties. Herein, an overview of the densification of biomass residues as a source of sustainable energy is presented.


Author(s):  
Mihaela PALELA ◽  
Carmen SOCACIU

The European Union’s policies regarding the energy security impose to the European countries to take urgent measures because of the global energy demand which is growing rapidly. The ambitious target approved by the renewable energy directive is that 20 % of the final energy consumption has to be provided by renewable sources by 2020. The technological transfer from west to east Europe encourages the eastern countries with a high agricultural potential to develop political, economical, and social strategies to replace the fossil resources with the renewable materials. The main goal of the European countries is to promote the clean energy technologies. Thus, the share of renewable resources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, biogas, etc. has to be increases with 24 % of the final energy consumption compared to the overall EU target of 20 %. The current work emphasize the technological state and perspectives of the biogas production of the Romanian country in comparison with the leader country in Europe, Germany.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1256
Author(s):  
Peter Lichtenwoehrer ◽  
Lore Abart-Heriszt ◽  
Florian Kretschmer ◽  
Franz Suppan ◽  
Gernot Stoeglehner ◽  
...  

In light of global warming and the energy turn, sector coupling has gained increasing interest in recent years, from both the scientific community and politics. In the following article it is hypothesized that efficient multifaceted sector coupling solutions depend on detailed spatial and temporal characteristics of energy demand and supply. Hence, spatiotemporal modelling is used as a methodology of integrated spatial and energy planning, in order to determine favourable sector coupling strategies at the local level. A case study evaluation was carried out for both central and decentral renewable energy sources. Considering the high temporal resolutions of energy demand and supply, the results revealed a feasible operation of a district heating network in the central areas of the case study municipalities. Additionally, building integrated solar energy technologies are capable of providing large amount of excess energy that could serve other demand sectors, such as the mobility sector, or could be used for Power-to-X solutions. It is suggested that sector coupling strategies require spatial considerations and high temporal comparisons, in order to be reasonably integrated in spatial and urban planning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11299
Author(s):  
Daniel Akinyele ◽  
Abraham Amole ◽  
Elijah Olabode ◽  
Ayobami Olusesi ◽  
Titus Ajewole

Energy systems modelling and design are a critical aspect of planning and development among researchers, electricity planners, infrastructure developers, utilities, decision-makers, and other relevant stakeholders. However, to achieve a sustainable energy supply, the energy planning approach needs to integrate some key dimensions. Importantly, these dimensions are necessary to guide the simulation and evaluation. It is against this backdrop that this paper focuses on the simulation and analysis approaches for sustainable planning, design, and development of microgrids based on clean energy resources. The paper first provides a comprehensive review of the existing simulation tools and approaches used for designing energy generation technologies. It then discusses and compares the traditional strategies and the emerging trends in energy systems simulation based on the software employed, the type of problem to be solved, input parameters provided, and the expected output. The paper introduces a practical simulation framework for sustainable energy planning, which is based on the social-technical-economic-environmental-policy (STEEP) model. The STEEP represents a holistic sustainability model that considers the key energy systems planning dimensions compared to the traditional techno-economic model used in several existing simulation tools and analyses. The paper provides insights into data-driven analysis and energy modelling software development applications.


2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J Cook

With the general reader in mind, Clean Energy, Climate and Carbon outlines the global challenge of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. It covers the changing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide through time and its causes, before considering the promise and the limitations of a wide range of energy technologies for decreasing carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the need to decrease carbon dioxide, the fact is that the global use of fossil fuels is increasing and is likely to continue to do so for some decades to come. With this in mind, the book considers in detail, what for many people is the unfamiliar clean energy technology of carbon capture and storage (CCS). How can we capture carbon dioxide from flue gases? How do we transport it? How do we store it in suitable rocks? What are suitable rocks and where do we find them? How do we know the carbon dioxide will remain trapped once it is injected underground? What does CCS cost and how do those costs compare with other technology options? The book also explores the political environment in which the discussion on clean energy technology options is occurring. What will a price on carbon do for technology uptake and what are the prospects of cutting our emissions by 2020 and of making even deeper cuts by 2050? What will the technology mix look like by that time? For people who are concerned about climate change, or who want to learn more about clean energy technologies, including CCS, this is the definitive view of the opportunities and the challenges we face in decreasing emissions despite a seemingly inexorable global increase in energy demand.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibeorchews Prasankumar ◽  
Jemini Jose ◽  
Sujin Jose ◽  
Sreeja P. Balakrishnan

World energy consumption has grown at a rate of knots. Economic growth, increasing prosperity and urbanization, the rise in per capita consumption, and the spread of energy access are the factors likely to considerably increase the total energy demand. In order to meet both the environmental and economic challenges, society realizes the necessity for harvesting the renewable resources, their storage, and recovery. To achieve accelerating clean energy innovation, cost reduction, and deployment of many clean energy technologies, it is important to formulating policies and their implementation, programmes for the development of new and renewable energy apart from coordinating and intensifying R&D in the sector. At present, aggravating energy and environmental issues, such as fossil fuel depletion, pollution problems, and global warming are ringing alarm bells to humans. Thus, there is an urgent need for enhanced energy security along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this direction, renewable energy is one of the environmentally friendly sources of energy and effectiveness of growing economy of the whole world in general. The development of environmentally friendly materials is one of the key issues today.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Darby ◽  
Amanda Hansson ◽  
Clement Tisdell

Ensuring an ongoing supply of power in a low carbon economy is one of the major national and international challenges that almost every country faces. Investments in alternative and renewable energy technologies have risen steadily over the last decade, particularly since the ratification of the 2030 Paris Agreement. Although reasonable progress has been made as a result of this, even the most developed renewable energy technologies, for example, solar, wind and hydro, cannot satisfy the rapidly growing energy demand of the world. Arguably a non-renewable energy source, nuclear energy may be one clean energy answer for the future. More specifically, small-scale nuclear energy holds considerable potential. Such potential exists in the form of light water small modular reactors (LW-SMRs). These SMRs have the capability to meet the energy independence and the energy security needs of many countries while reducing capital and operating expenditure and environmental and physical footprint. The modularity aspect of this technology allows for varied application, from large towns to rural regions that currently rely on individual generators. It also creates the opportunity of cogeneration with already existing conventional power generation technology to diversify power generation and increase grid stability. LW-SMRs are not a new idea; in fact, they have been used to power U.S. aircraft carriers and submarines for almost 60 years. This case study will address the advantages and disadvantages of the LW-SMR, using the market leader NuScale as an example. NuScale in Oregon, United States, is arguably the most experienced and influential LW-SMR nuclear energy company when it comes to the factory fabrication of LW-SMRs.


Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar Singh ◽  
Sunil Kumar Yadav ◽  
Bharat Raj Singh

Energy is the measure of the development of any nation. Booming economic growth, rapid industrialization and high standard of living of the global population demand more and more energy in different forms. Since the quantity of available energy from conventional resources is depleting day by day, development of newer or renewable energy technologies and improvement of conventional technologies become necessary to meet the energy demand in the future. The world is undergoing a period of global climate change. Growing demand for energy despite limited fossil fuel reserves and growing environmental concerns due to increased emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, well-known green house gases, is undoubtedly the major challenge of the 21st century. It is of international importance that technological solutions can be brought to bear to solve these problems as well as providing alternative sources of power and energy. To achieve a sustainable development, the origin and the use of energy have to be addressed, and advanced energy technologies for both fossil and renewable energy carriers have to be developed. There is need to think globally but act locally. The adoption of new energy sources, energy carriers and better energy management will not only affect the energy market but will also have social economic and environmental impacts. New energy technologies and particular heating and cooling technologies are decentralized and will create markets and employment essentially at a local level and, therefore, will induce a modification of individual behavior. From an economic viewpoint, new energy technologies are capital intensive sources of energy and the present period is particularly interested in the development of such technologies and systems due to relatively low cost of money and high cost of energy. The scientific community has not only to think and develop advanced energy technologies but also to contribute in improving the existing ones. Even if renewable energies and new energy carriers, such as hydrogen, are promising solutions, our society still relies on fossil fuels as primary energy for many applications.


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