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2012 international year for sustainable energy for all: African Frontrunnership in rural electrification

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  • Mahama, Amadu

Abstract

2012 has been declared the “International Year for Sustainable Energy for All” by the UN. While Africa remains the most ‘underpowered’ continent, the prognosis for a brighter future is looking good, as key stakeholders (governments, private sector, civil society, and the donor community) have mobilized at an unprecedented scale to experiment with new policies, regulatory frameworks, and business models to rapidly upscale access to sustainable energy. The top-down, central grid expansion approach to increasing electricity access is very capital intensive and yet has gained considerable momentum at the expense of lower cost options that utilize decentralized off-grid solutions. A decentralized bottom-up approach could also use indigenous renewable energy sources and foster more significant linkages with livelihood opportunities in the rural un-served territories. This paper evaluates the emerging experiments through the lenses of C.K. Prahalad's “bottom of the pyramid” theory and Clayton Christensen's “disruptive technologies” perspective. Three front-runner initiatives involving new business models, innovative technologies, and institutional capacity building will be analyzed. In addition, the paper examines a regulatory policy initiative designed to stimulate clean energy investments in Ghana. Though the examples are all from Ghana, they illustrate general challenges to sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.

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  • Mahama, Amadu, 2012. "2012 international year for sustainable energy for all: African Frontrunnership in rural electrification," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 76-82.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:48:y:2012:i:c:p:76-82
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.04.046
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kemausuor, Francis & Obeng, George Yaw & Brew-Hammond, Abeeku & Duker, Alfred, 2011. "A review of trends, policies and plans for increasing energy access in Ghana," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 5143-5154.
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    3. Islam, Md. Monirul & Irfan, Muhammad & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2022. "Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption in Bangladesh: The relative influencing profiles of economic factors, urbanization, physical infrastructure and institutional quality," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1130-1149.
    4. Houda Elmustapha & Thomas Hoppe, 2020. "Challenges and Opportunities of Business Models in Sustainable Transitions: Evidence from Solar Energy Niche Development in Lebanon," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Ankrah, Isaac & Lin, Boqiang, 2020. "Renewable energy development in Ghana: Beyond potentials and commitment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    6. Aglina, Moses Kwame & Agbejule, Adebayo & Nyamuame, Godwin Yao, 2016. "Policy framework on energy access and key development indicators: ECOWAS interventions and the case of Ghana," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 332-342.
    7. Mariana Voros Fregolente & Marly M. Carvalho, 2023. "Exploring BoP Generations through Business Model Innovation Lens: A Review and Framing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-37, August.
    8. 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).
    9. Engelken, Maximilian & Römer, Benedikt & Drescher, Marcus & Welpe, Isabell M. & Picot, Arnold, 2016. "Comparing drivers, barriers, and opportunities of business models for renewable energies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 795-809.
    10. Cambero, Claudia & Hans Alexandre, Mariane & Sowlati, Taraneh, 2015. "Life cycle greenhouse gas analysis of bioenergy generation alternatives using forest and wood residues in remote locations: A case study in British Columbia, Canada," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 59-72.
    11. Bluemling, Bettina & de Visser, Ina, 2013. "Overcoming the “club dilemma” of village-scale bioenergy projects—The case of India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 18-25.
    12. Gabriel, Cle-Anne, 2016. "What is challenging renewable energy entrepreneurs in developing countries?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 362-371.
    13. Agyekum, Ephraim Bonah & Amjad, Fahd & Mohsin, Muhammad & Ansah, Michael Nii Sanka, 2021. "A bird's eye view of Ghana's renewable energy sector environment: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making approach," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    14. Hans-Holger Rogner, 2013. "The Effectiveness of Foreign Aid for Sustainable Energy," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2013-055, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    15. Stefan Bouzarovski & Saska Petrova & Sergio Tirado-Herrero, 2014. "From Fuel Poverty to Energy Vulnerability: The Importance of Services, Needs and Practices," SPRU Working Paper Series 2014-25, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    16. Stritzke, Susann & Trotter, Philipp A. & Twesigye, Peter, 2021. "Towards responsive energy governance: Lessons from a holistic analysis of energy access in Uganda and Zambia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PA).

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    Keywords

    Electricity; Access; Ghana;
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