IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v39y2011i8p4520-4528.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The delivery of low-cost, low-carbon rural energy services

Author

Listed:
  • Casillas, Christian E.
  • Kammen, Daniel M.

Abstract

The provision of both electrical and mechanical energy services can play a critical role in poverty alleviation for the almost two billion rural users who currently lack access to electricity. Distributed generation using diesel generators remains a common means of electricity provision for rural communities throughout the world. Due to rising fuel costs, the need to address poverty, and consequences of global warming, it is necessary to develop cost efficient means of reducing fossil fuel consumption in isolated diesel microgrids. Based on a case study in Nicaragua, a set of demand and supply side measures are ordered by their annualized costs in order to approximate an energy supply curve. The curve highlights significant opportunities for reducing the costs of delivering energy services while also transitioning to a carbon-free electrical system. In particular, the study demonstrates the significant cost savings resulting from the implementation of conventional metering, efficient residential lighting, and electricity generation using renewable energy sources.

Suggested Citation

  • Casillas, Christian E. & Kammen, Daniel M., 2011. "The delivery of low-cost, low-carbon rural energy services," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 4520-4528, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:8:p:4520-4528
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421511003016
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. ARTHUR Rosenfeld & CELINA Atkinson & JONATHAN Koomey & ALAN Meier & ROBERT J. Mowris & LYNN PRICE, 1993. "Conserved Energy Supply Curves For U.S. Buildings," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 11(1), pages 45-68, January.
    2. Blumstein, Carl & Stoft, Steven E, 1995. "Technical efficiency, production functions and conservation supply curves," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(9), pages 765-768, September.
    3. Solano-Peralta, Mauricio & Moner-Girona, Magda & van Sark, Wilfried G.J.H.M. & Vallvè, Xavier, 2009. ""Tropicalisation" of Feed-in Tariffs: A custom-made support scheme for hybrid PV/diesel systems in isolated regions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2279-2294, December.
    4. Jacobson, Arne & Kammen, Daniel M., 2007. "Engineering, institutions, and the public interest: Evaluating product quality in the Kenyan solar photovoltaics industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2960-2968, May.
    5. Kumar, Arun & Jain, Sudhir K. & Bansal, N. K., 2003. "Disseminating energy-efficient technologies: a case study of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 259-272, February.
    6. Steven E. Stoft, 1995. "The Economics of Conserved-Energy "Supply" Curves," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4), pages 109-137.
    7. Gadgil, Ashok J. & De Martino Jannuzzi, Gilberto, 1991. "Conservation potential of compact fluorescent lamps in India and Brazil," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 449-463, June.
    8. Jaffe, Adam B. & Stavins, Robert N., 1994. "The energy-efficiency gap What does it mean?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(10), pages 804-810, October.
    9. Kirubi, Charles & Jacobson, Arne & Kammen, Daniel M. & Mills, Andrew, 2009. "Community-Based Electric Micro-Grids Can Contribute to Rural Development: Evidence from Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 1208-1221, July.
    10. Parikh, Jyoti, 1985. "Modeling energy and agriculture interactions—I: A rural energy systems model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 10(7), pages 793-804.
    11. Kaundinya, Deepak Paramashivan & Balachandra, P. & Ravindranath, N.H., 2009. "Grid-connected versus stand-alone energy systems for decentralized power--A review of literature," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 2041-2050, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Reynolds, Travis & Kolodinsky, Jane & Murray, Byron, 2012. "Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for compact fluorescent lighting: Policy implications for energy efficiency promotion in Saint Lucia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 712-722.
    2. Leonarda F. C. Castro & Paulo C. M. Carvalho & João P. T. Saraiva & José Nuno Fidalgo, 2024. "Photovoltaic Projects for Multidimensional Poverty Alleviation: Bibliometric Analysis and State of the Art," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 14(2), pages 507-522, March.
    3. Karumba, Mary Muthoni & Muchapondwa, Edwin, 2017. "The Impact of Micro Hydroelectricity on Household Welfare Indicators," EfD Discussion Paper 17-20, Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg.
    4. Abada, Ibrahim & Othmani, Mehdi & Tatry, Léa, 2021. "An innovative approach for the optimal sizing of mini-grids in rural areas integrating the demand, the supply, and the grid," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    5. Juan Carlos Oviedo Cepeda & German Osma-Pinto & Robin Roche & Cesar Duarte & Javier Solano & Daniel Hissel, 2020. "Design of a Methodology to Evaluate the Impact of Demand-Side Management in the Planning of Isolated/Islanded Microgrids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-24, July.
    6. Schillebeeckx, Simon J.D. & Parikh, Priti & Bansal, Rahul & George, Gerard, 2012. "An integrated framework for rural electrification: Adopting a user-centric approach to business model development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 687-697.
    7. Anthony L. D'Agostino & Peter D. Lund & Johannes Urpelainen, 2016. "The business of distributed solar power: a comparative case study of centralized charging stations and solar microgrids," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(6), pages 640-648, November.
    8. Muhumuza, Ronald & Zacharopoulos, Aggelos & Mondol, Jayanta Deb & Smyth, Mervyn & Pugsley, Adrian, 2018. "Energy consumption levels and technical approaches for supporting development of alternative energy technologies for rural sectors of developing countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 90-102.
    9. Welsch, Manuel & Bazilian, Morgan & Howells, Mark & Divan, Deepak & Elzinga, David & Strbac, Goran & Jones, Lawrence & Keane, Andrew & Gielen, Dolf & Balijepalli, V.S.K. Murthy & Brew-Hammond, Abeeku , 2013. "Smart and Just Grids for sub-Saharan Africa: Exploring options," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 336-352.
    10. Friebe, Christian A. & Flotow, Paschen von & Täube, Florian A., 2013. "Exploring the link between products and services in low-income markets—Evidence from solar home systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 760-769.
    11. Oviedo-Cepeda, J.C. & Serna-Suárez, Ivan & Osma-Pinto, German & Duarte, Cesar & Solano, Javier & Gabbar, Hossam A., 2020. "Design of tariff schemes as demand response mechanisms for stand-alone microgrids planning," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    12. Olusola Olugbemileke Johnson & Abayomi Joseph Odekoya & Obinna Lawrence Umeh, 2012. "Factors Influencing the Usage of Compact Fluorescent Lamps in Existing Residential Buildings in Lagos, Nigeria," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 2(2), pages 63-70.
    13. Chambon, Clementine L. & Karia, Tanuj & Sandwell, Philip & Hallett, Jason P., 2020. "Techno-economic assessment of biomass gasification-based mini-grids for productive energy applications: The case of rural India," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 432-444.
    14. William Clements & Surendra Pandit & Prashanna Bajracharya & Joe Butchers & Sam Williamson & Biraj Gautam & Paul Harper, 2021. "Techno-Economic Modelling of Micro-Hydropower Mini-Grids in Nepal to Improve Financial Sustainability and Enable Electric Cooking," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-23, July.
    15. Garcez, Catherine Aliana Gucciardi, 2017. "What do we know about the study of distributed generation policies and regulations in the Americas? A systematic review of literature," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1404-1416.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Boyd, Gale A. & Lee, Jonathan M., 2019. "Measuring plant level energy efficiency and technical change in the U.S. metal-based durable manufacturing sector using stochastic frontier analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 159-174.
    2. Koopmans, Carl C. & te Velde, Dirk Willem, 2001. "Bridging the energy efficiency gap: using bottom-up information in a top-down energy demand model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 57-75, January.
    3. Häckel, Björn & Pfosser, Stefan & Tränkler, Timm, 2017. "Explaining the energy efficiency gap - Expected Utility Theory versus Cumulative Prospect Theory," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 414-426.
    4. Gale Boyd & Matt Doolin, 2020. "The Energy Efficiency Gap and Energy Price Responsiveness in Food Processing," Working Papers 20-18, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    5. Bissiri, M. & Moura, P. & Figueiredo, N.C. & Silva, P.P., 2020. "Towards a renewables-based future for West African States: A review of power systems planning approaches," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    6. Hunt Allcott & Michael Greenstone, 2012. "Is There an Energy Efficiency Gap?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(1), pages 3-28, Winter.
    7. Levihn, Fabian, 2016. "On the problem of optimizing through least cost per unit, when costs are negative: Implications for cost curves and the definition of economic efficiency," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1155-1163.
    8. Kaundinya, Deepak Paramashivan & Balachandra, P. & Ravindranath, N.H. & Ashok, Veilumuthu, 2013. "A GIS (geographical information system)-based spatial data mining approach for optimal location and capacity planning of distributed biomass power generation facilities: A case study of Tumkur distric," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 77-88.
    9. Manning, Dale T. & Means, Peter & Zimmerle, Daniel & Galvin, Kathleen & Loomis, John & Paustian, Keith, 2015. "Using contingent behavior analysis to measure benefits from rural electrification in developing countries: an example from Rwanda," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 393-401.
    10. Mills, Bradford F. & Schleich, Joachim, 2010. "Why don't households see the light?: Explaining the diffusion of compact fluorescent lamps," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 363-378, August.
    11. Saunders, Harry D. & Roy, Joyashree & Azevedo, Inês M.L. & Chakravarty, Debalina & Dasgupta, Shyamasree & De La Rue Du Can, Stephane & Druckman, Angela & Fouquet, Roger & Grubb, Michael & Lin, Boqiang, 2021. "Energy efficiency: what has research delivered in the last 40 years?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114344, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Brunet, Carole & Savadogo, Oumarou & Baptiste, Pierre & Bouchard, Michel A., 2018. "Shedding some light on photovoltaic solar energy in Africa – A literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 325-342.
    13. Kenneth Gillingham & Karen Palmer, 2014. "Bridging the Energy Efficiency Gap: Policy Insights from Economic Theory and Empirical Evidence," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 8(1), pages 18-38, January.
    14. Gómez-Hernández, D.F. & Domenech, B. & Moreira, J. & Farrera, N. & López-González, A. & Ferrer-Martí, L., 2019. "Comparative evaluation of rural electrification project plans: A case study in Mexico," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 23-33.
    15. Franz Fuerst & Dimitra Kavarnou & Ramandeep Singh & Hassan Adan, 2020. "Determinants of energy consumption and exposure to energy price risk: a UK study [Determinanten des Energieverbrauchs und Energiepreisrisiko: Eine Studie aus Großbritannien]," Zeitschrift für Immobilienökonomie (German Journal of Real Estate Research), Springer;Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung e. V., vol. 6(1), pages 65-80, April.
    16. Silva Herran, Diego & Nakata, Toshihiko, 2012. "Design of decentralized energy systems for rural electrification in developing countries considering regional disparity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 130-145.
    17. Lutsey, Nicholas P., 2008. "Prioritizing Climate Change Mitigation Alternatives: Comparing Transportation Technologies to Options in Other Sectors," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt5rd41433, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    18. Elizabeth Baldwin & Jennifer N. Brass & Sanya Carley & Lauren M. MacLean, 2015. "Electrification and rural development: issues of scale in distributed generation," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(2), pages 196-211, March.
    19. Fleiter, Tobias & Fehrenbach, Daniel & Worrell, Ernst & Eichhammer, Wolfgang, 2012. "Energy efficiency in the German pulp and paper industry – A model-based assessment of saving potentials," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 84-99.
    20. de Almeida, Edmar Luiz Fagundes, 1998. "Energy efficiency and the limits of market forces: The example of the electric motor market in France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(8), pages 643-653, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:8:p:4520-4528. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.