Primary and secondary objectives of the project
The primary objective of this research project is to contribute to the understanding of sustainability factors and socio-technical innovations for creation of viable systems for solar power supply at the village scale and up-scaling of such local "transitions to sustainability".
The secondary objectives include:
- Increasing the knowledge on how to design organizational, institutional, operational and business models for flexible and sustainable systems.
- Exploring the role of such electricity supply for climate adaptation, including reduction of vulnerability and increase of the adaptive capacity and resilience of individuals and local communities.
- Creating real world, social learning processes - socio-technical transitions in practice and provide insights in mechanisms of replication and up-scaling of such local sustainability experiments.
- Increasing the theoretical and practical knowledge about strategies for transfer and exchange of socio-technical models across geographical contexts.
Background
The project is social science based and interdisciplinary, and analyses and compares four Indian, Kenyan and Senegalese cases of village scale solar and hybrid power systems, including micro-grids, energy centres and lantern charging stations.
Important aspects for the research are the experiences with implementation, social organization, economic sustainability, long-term operation and maintenance, as well as the role of local involvement and national framework conditions.
The four cases represent promising solutions for the future in terms of successful elements that can be built on. The project team directly applies findings in pilot projects and up-scaling initiatives as well as activities for transfer and exchange of experience and socio-technical designs through action research. Ongoing pilot projects in Kenya are monitored, improved and expanded.
This has resulted in a cluster of pilot projects based on initiatives from the villages, creating a case for long-term monitoring, analysis and demonstration.
The proposed work facilitates replication and scaling up in a bottom-up manner based on interest, initiative and leadership of women and men at the local level in interaction with actors at other geographical levels. Theoretical implications for technology and knowledge transfer as well as socio-technical systems innovation are drawn. The results are published and disseminated in both academic and non-academic ways.
News
Analyzing a solar lantern rental model for low income consumers
Project partner Charles Muchunku from Kenya has presented research findings based on a survey on energy expenditure in Kitui County in Kenya, showing extremely low energy expenditure for significant portions of the population.
Charles Muchunku also analyzed experiences from a long-term action research activity for the development of affordable solutions for basic electricity services for people living in deep poverty, including renting of portable solar lanterns.
The conference was held in Bad Hersfeld, Germany, on September 21- 23, 2016.
Sustainable Electricity for All: How Viable Are Mini-Grids in Senegal?
In 2015, in Maka Sarr, a small remote village in Senegal, a company called `Enersa’ established a 10 kWp solar power plant with a 1.5 km underground distribution network to provide electricity to the households and small businesses. A team of researchers from Norway and Kenya visited the village to understand the energy access situation and learn from the solar hybrid mini-grids that have been installed by private developers.
Read the full article on www.theenergycollective.com
Kenya Renewable Energy Association - KEREA
Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KEREA) has become a part of the Solar xChange project team. This partnership will strengthen the project's links to the renewable energy sector in Kenya and thereby its outreach in dissemination of research results.
The organization will play an important role as a co-organizer of a workshop in Kenya in late 2016. In this workshop, the Solar xChange project will share its research results with, and receive feedback from, companies, organizations, researchers and government representatives working on solar energy and off-grid renewable energy activities in and outside Kenya, including international actors involved in the sector. The workshop builds on long-term interaction and sharing of research results underway in the project, and will bring together and strengthen the projects' network of people interested in the project's research topics.
KEREA is a very active organization with a strong position in the renewable energy field in Kenya, seen as a central actor both by the government, private sector and international donor and business community involved in renewable energy in Kenya. For further information about this organization, see KEREA's website.
Solar xChange: Workshop on 'Village Scale Solar Power Supply Models'
TERI in association with the University of Oslo organized a "Workshop on Village Scale Solar Power Supply Models" under the ongoing project 'Solar xChange' on April 21, 2015 at TERI Southern Regional Centre, Bengaluru.
You can read about the workshop at www.teriin.org
Previous events
Development of Solar Energy in Africa
Time: July 12, 2013 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Lecture by Ben Muok.
OASYS South Asia Workshop. On Replication and Scaling-up of Decentralised Off-grid Electrification in Developing Countries.
Energy Access Model
Time: Apr. 11, 2013 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Workhop organized by Charles Muchunku
Milan Solar Workshop. Criteria to Consider for Replication and Scale-Up of an Energy Access Model
