1,720,985 research outputs found
Towards Integrated Business and Partnership Models for Universal Energy Access in Kenya and Rwanda
Full text linkIntegrated electrification models have garnered significant attention in the energy access discourse as an essential element of achieving universal access to electricity. The absence of integration often results in competing rather than complementary electrification solutions, fragmentation in the market and a duplication of financial resources, with off-grid providers primarily serving certain geographic regions while others remain unelectrified. This thesis proposes integrated business and partnership models to improve the viability, inclusivity and scalability of off-grid electrification models in Kenya and Rwanda. In recent years the concept of the Integrated Distribution Framework (IDF) has been conceptualised to support the achievement of universal access to electricity and improve the viability of electrification models. This framework is premised on four core principles (pillars), namely (i) inclusiveness, (ii) permanence, (iii) a combination of electrification modes and (iv) external resources for viable electrification models. These pillars form the foundational elements of the IDF framing, upon which this thesis expounds. Notwithstanding the developing literature on the IDF, this thesis addresses several knowledge gaps in the implementation of the IDF in different contexts. An important contribution to knowledge this thesis makes is operationalising IDF principles for financing and partnership models commonly used for mini-grids and stand-alone solar systems in Kenya and Rwanda. Specifically, this study applies the tenets of the IDF to results-based finance (RBF) models and flagship off-grid electrification programmes using public private partnerships (PPP)s. Integral to the IDF, is addressing the viability gap. This is a central aspect of this thesis and is intricately linked with a complex array of factors, including the regulatory environment, affordability, financing and geographic considerations. This study used qualitative research methods to carry out the empirical investigation, and a case study design through in-depth case studies of Kenya and Rwanda. Forty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in the off-grid energy sectors in Kenya and Rwanda, including mini-grid developers, stand-alone solar companies, international development partners, industry associations, the national utilities and Ministries of Energy. Specifically, this study found that for mini grids, determinants of the viability gap included: revenue which is influenced by tariffs and demand; affordability; funding to address the viability gap; policy support; the regulatory environment; institutional priorities and long-term planning. For stand-alone solar systems the viability gap was mostly influenced by affordability, quality standards and financing. This study further identified key determinants of the IDF pillarsfor mini-grids and stand-alone systems in Kenya and Rwanda. Inclusivity was impacted by affordability; incentives and subsidies; and national electrification planning. vi Permanence was influenced by tariffs and regulation; planning certainty; incentives and subsidies, quality standards and demand stimulation and productive uses. The efficient combinations and co existence of electrification technologies was affected by the prioritisation of off-grid technologies in electrification plans, geography, institutional priorities and the availability and affordability of finance. These all impacted the external finance leveraged and the continuity and sustainability of business models within the case studies of Kenya and Rwanda. This thesis demonstrates the complexities of RBF and PPPs as approaches to address the viability gap. It shows how the framing of the IDF can improve the permanence and inclusivity of RBF programmes and PPPs. It further highlights that there are many trade-offs that need to be considered when the private sector form part of larger scale national electrification projects. As this thesis demonstrates, even when there are targeted incentives in place through RBF programmes and PPPs, there are a variety of challenges which need to be overcome and it therefore identifies ways in which partnerships can be strengthened to improve the financing ecosystem
Small scale embedded generation (SSEG) in Cape Town: a case study on the impact of Cape Town's SSEG regulation
Full text linkIn recent years, the rapidly diminishing costs of renewable technologies have rendered solar photovoltaics (PV) price competitive at a range of scales. Globally, there has been an increasing proliferation of distributed renewable generation embedded within the electricity network, called Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG). Yet, while such decentralised technologies have taken a central role in discussions on energy transitions in the Global North, their implications in the Global South remain poorly documented. In South Africa, the convergence of a legacy energy system, supply issues, rising electricity prices, and growing environmental awareness as well as rapid urbanisation and persistent poverty is presenting a set of compound challenges for government at all levels and threatens the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon energy system. This study investigates the implications of SSEG on Cape Town's energy transition and assesses the drivers and impacts of regulatory responses. The study adopts a multi-level perspective on sociotechnical transitions deployed at the municipal scale to explore the role of SSEG in a just and sustainable energy transition. This was done along three dimensions using an environmental justice framework proposed by Cock (2004), wherein a green agenda refers to environmental conservation, a brown agenda represents energy impacts on quality of life and development, and a red agenda represents social justice and equality. Achieving a just transition will require attention to each of the three agendas in this framework. Using data from a desktop analysis, policy review and ten semi-structured interviews to investigate the case of Cape Town, the study found that the impacts of SSEG are dependent on the contextual landscape within which this transition is situated. Regulation of SSEG is largely the result of municipal attempts to protect its financial ability to fulfil developmental mandates. Recent regulatory developments have resulted in several unintended consequences which have reduced the extent to which green energy is equitably distributed across the municipal grid, and failed to mitigate revenue impacts of SSEG, and consequently the ability of municipalities to continue developmental agendas. National landscape pressures from increasing electricity prices and continued load-shedding are driving SSEG uptake. In response to these pressures, and municipal regulation, SSEG has adapted to new niches and battery technologies have become increasingly prevalent. Left unregulated SSEG will continue to threaten the financial viability of municipalities and the extent to which the ongoing energy transition in South Africa will be just and equitable. This study contributes to an emerging social-science research agenda into socio-technical transitions and addresses the limited consideration of the implications of disruptive technologies and their regulation at the city regime scale in the Global South
An exploratory study into energy consumption activities, energy-saving activities, and the factors that influence energy saving among Grade 7 children in Khayelitsha, Cape Town
Full text linkEnergy is the engine that drives most human activity and is it very important today in the context of global warming and the high cost of energy. Yet there is limited research focusing on children's energy use in developing countries, including the ways in which they use energy, save energy and the factors that influence such activities. This is a serious deficit in energy literature and problematic because in the near future, today's children will make decisions about energy systems and climate change. This study gained insight into the ways in which Grade 7 children in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, use and save energy, and the factors that influence their energy saving. The study adopted a case study design, and mixed-methods approaches were used, including surveys, energy diaries, an interview and a focus group. The results show that children in Khayelitsha demonstrated a broad understanding of the concept of energy including topics on the environment, basis of life and thermal energy. The children displayed understanding of broader socio-economic, environmental and health issues as they were cognisant of national and community issues, such as limited energy access and the dangers of indoor use of coal. They had lower scores on more abstract and technical topics such as energy transitions and differentiating between renewable and non-renewable sources on energy. 86% of the children in this study acknowledged the importance of saving energy, while more than 50% failed to recognise the importance of caring for the environment and moving away from fossil fuels. The study results show that children use multiple sources of energy at home and that the majority of their energy activities were performed at home, followed by school and church. The children reported several energy consumption activities including cooking for others, using the kettle for bathwater and ironing their clothes - findings contrary to activities reported by children in developed countries. For some of the children, the results suggest that energy use may be accompanied by guilt as children want to reduce financial pressures at home, a finding consistent with existing literature. Energy-saving activities included switching off and removing appliances from the wall plug. Children were found to be motivated to save energy by several factors, of which financial considerations were the most dominant. The children demonstrate altruistic tendencies, as motivation to save energy seems to be influenced by the desire to help their families and communities. The study further identified that parents, the community, the school, peers and the relationship between the school and government departments had either a direct or an indirect influence on children. Parents with a positive attitude towards energy saving and the environment were more likely to talk to their children about energy saving, which tended to focus on related financial issues. A conceptual framework is presented to analyse the data, which incorporates existing psychological and sociological frameworks and theories used to explain energy behaviour in addition to theories on child development
Crowd sourcing energy poverty data in South African informal settlements: the opportunity of mobile phone technology
Full text linkEnergy 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
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Attitudes towards Marine Energy: Understanding the Values
Full text linkMarine Renewable Energy (MRE) in the form of wave, tidal and offshore wind has emerged as a potentially major component of strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and combat climate change. One factor influencing the implementation of MRE technologies is acceptance by people living near developments. This study investigated (i) attitudes towards MRE in small island communities as likely host communities for MRE developments; (ii) the underlying factors and values shaping these attitudes; (iii) how communities viewed MRE with regard to their place attachments; (iv) the inclusion of communities attitudes into MRE decision-making; and (v) contributions to policy and practice of MRE development. Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach, employing questionnaire surveys and interviews in three case study communities: 1) the Orkney Islands in Scotland which have considerable experience with MRE; 2) the Shetland Islands, also a Scottish community but with somewhat less experience; and 3) the Isles of Scilly, an English community with limited MRE experience. These study sites provided an opportunity to examine attitudes towards MRE in areas with different levels of MRE experience and differing government administrations and consenting procedures, thus offering novel insights into how local contexts shape attitudes towards MRE. The theoretical position adopted was place attachment, and the study made steps towards understanding how place attachment processes operate when people evaluate MRE development locally. Processes of place attachment were found to be based on a continuous flow of interactions between people and places based on an evaluation of what happens in specific local contexts and how these are valued against sets of local priorities and preferences. The study found generally positive attitudes towards MRE, and identified local context, place-based values and the perceived effects of MRE as dominant in shaping support. The study thus found two important contributors that shaped attitudes: (i) local references and influences through which people observed issues, including socio-historical references, relational factors, and pragmatic factors, and (ii) local values, through which MRE was evaluated, which were established by residents based on evaluations of local characteristics, and how they related to strategies to maintain the long-term community continuity, and whether they were considered to be a threat, and therefore, a priority for continuity or for change. Based on these factors, a heuristic model was developed to visualise how attitudes towards MRE developed based on local contexts. Although complex interplays of local factors were observed, support for MRE development was largely based on its perceived local socio-economic benefits and perceptions of minimal environmental disruption. To incorporate local attitudes into decision-making, a place-based approach instead of a technology-based approach was advocated in which community priorities becomes the first focal point of siting processes. This approach is based both on the identified importance of local context for engaging the community and on ensuring appropriate siting based on engagement processes in which communities are appropriately represented and processes are tailored to local circumstances. An added important benefit from such an approach is that it allows for the inclusion of local knowledge and expertise in MRE siting
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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