May 31 2017
In this new publication, two members of the Smart Villages team along with Malaysian experts from Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia explore the question of whether communities prefer a community-based model or a utility-based model. The researchers found that the most value was placed on the operator-model underpinning the …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/new-study-energy-policy-indigenous-community-preferences-electricity-services-evidence-choice-experiment-sarawak-malaysia/
Jul 11 2016
Achieving energy access for everyone requires more and better targeted investment, but what role does climate finance play in filling the funding gaps? This paper examines data on the major climate funds to assess what share of international public finance goes toward energy access and compares this to overall finance needs for the sector. It …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/unlocking-climate-finance-decentralised-energy-access/
Jun 01 2016
2015 was an extraordinary year for renewable energy. Renewables are now cost competitive with fossil fuels in many markets and are established around the world as mainstream sources of energy. Cities, communities and companies are leading the rapidly expanding “100% renewable” movement, playing a vital role in advancing the global energy transition. Distributed renewable energy …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/renewables-2016-global-status-report/
May 26 2016
Primary data from 163 households was analyzed using a novel asset- and income-based index. We found statistically significant differences between households of different socio-economic status for a variety of indicators. Microeconometric techniques revealed the determinants of willingness-to-pay for electricity. We used primary data collected from 163 households in an off-grid Rwandan village to provide insights …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/insights-energy-poor-rwandan-village/
Apr 09 2016
[:en]Co-authored by a science journalist and an energy researcher, WGSI’s OpenAccess Energy Brief is an engaging overview of energy access issues that identifies challenges, knowledge gaps and opportunities. This version incorporates feedback collected by our advisory group who met in October 2015 to evaluate version 1 of the Brief and Summit goals. This version of …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/open-access-energy/
Oct 27 2015
Last month in New York, the world adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), defining the global development agenda for the next 15 years. Among the 17 goals is Goal 7’s aim to ensure “access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” Given that an estimated 1.3 billion people have no access to electricity …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/editorial-smart-villages/
Oct 08 2015
10 Questions to Ask about Distributed Generation, a collaboration between WRI, WWF and Prayas (Energy Group), is part of the 10 Questions to Ask Series and provides a framework for stakeholder engagement around the common questions and challenges that arise in the context of planning for and implementing DG option to address electricity access gaps. …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/10-questions-to-ask-about-distributed-generation/
Sep 23 2015
There are two initial challenges in defining and measuring energy access: the absence of a universal definition of energy access and the difficulty of measuring any definition in an accurate manner. The multi-tier approach to measuring energy access proposed in the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Global Tracking Framework of 2013 introduces a five-tier measurement …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/capturing-the-multi-dimensionality-of-energy-access/
Jul 16 2015
Nepal’s energy situation reflects its challenging terrain (over 75% mountainous) and very low income levels (UNDP, 2013). About 25% of Nepal’s 26.5 million people live below the poverty line, which varies by region but averaged 19,261 NPR per year (or about USD 0.75 per day) in FY 2010/2011 (Central Bureau of Satistics, 2012). The nation …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/energy-for-off-grid-villages-in-nepal-and-the-role-of-minigrids/
Jul 07 2015
This paper uses Practical Action’s experiences with micro-hydro schemes to connect global nexus debates to the experiences of and solutions for remote off-grid communities and smallholder farmers. Through examples in Peru, Nepal, and Zimbabwe we exemplify the need for an integrated approach to energy, water, and food security. We show that decentralized energy provision has …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/the-energy-water-food-nexus-at-decentralized-scales/
Jul 07 2015
There is a growing interest in how to deliver energy services to people on a low income, not just for household use but to earn a living: the so-called ‘productive uses’ of energy. One sector that deserves particular attention is smallholder agriculture. Expanding access to modern energy services and equipment for farmers could help address …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/growing-power-exploring-energy-needs-in-smallholder-agriculture/
Mar 16 2015
Approximately 360 million people in India lack adequate access to grid-electricity and another 20 million households receive less than four hours of electricity per day. To help close this gap, the Government of India has set a target of generating 100 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022. But while grid connectivity is expected to improve …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/the-business-case-for-off-grid-energy-in-india/
Feb 13 2015
Universal electricity access – one of the targets of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative for 2030 – will remain unachievable unless countries adopt a market-based approach to off-grid renewable energy deployment. This report highlights key findings and recommendations of the Second International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference (IOREC 2014), organised by the International Renewable …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/accelerating-off-grid-renewable-energy-iorec-2014-key-findings-recommendations/
Jan 07 2015
Two billion people rely on wood and charcoal for their daily energy needs. But supply chains are often environmentally unsustainable, and poor actors rarely capture enough value from trade in these products. This briefing discusses two innovative cases in the governance of biomass markets, which enhance the inclusion of informal actors. The first shows how …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/informality-market-governance-wood-charcoal-value-chains/
Dec 15 2014
In order to design effective, participatory and sustainable energy access interventions that are in sync with real community priorities, it is necessary to understand and capture nuances of community energy needs and preferences across the target population. In South Africa, the CHOICES community energy project organised ‘energy options’ workshops to discuss and prioritise local energy …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/exploring-energy-priorities-a-community-workshop-tool/
Oct 01 2014
Sub-Saharan Africa’s energy sector can be improved to unlock a better life for its citizens. This report describes one of the most poorly understood parts of the global energy system, offers an authoritative study of its future prospects, broken down by fuel, sector and sub-region and shows how investment in the sub-Saharan energy sector can …
Permanent link to this article: https://e4sv.org/africa-energy-outlook/