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The Role of Open Access Data in Geospatial Electrification Planning and the Achievement of SDG7. An OnSSET-Based Case Study for Malawi

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  • Alexandros Korkovelos

    (Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Babak Khavari

    (Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Andreas Sahlberg

    (Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Mark Howells

    (Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Christopher Arderne

    (The World Bank Group, Washington, DC 20433, USA)

Abstract

Achieving universal access to electricity is a development challenge many countries are currently battling with. The advancement of information technology has, among others, vastly improved the availability of geographic data and information. That, in turn, has had a considerable impact on tracking progress as well as better informing decision making in the field of electrification. This paper provides an overview of open access geospatial data and GIS based electrification models aiming to support SDG7, while discussing their role in answering difficult policy questions. Upon those, an updated version of the Open Source Spatial Electrification Toolkit (OnSSET-2018) is introduced and tested against the case study of Malawi. At a cost of $1.83 billion the baseline scenario indicates that off-grid PV is the least cost electrification option for 67.4% Malawians, while grid extension can connect about 32.6% of population in 2030. Sensitivity analysis however, indicates that the electricity demand projection determines significantly both the least cost technology mix and the investment required, with the latter ranging between $1.65–7.78 billion.

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  • Alexandros Korkovelos & Babak Khavari & Andreas Sahlberg & Mark Howells & Christopher Arderne, 2019. "The Role of Open Access Data in Geospatial Electrification Planning and the Achievement of SDG7. An OnSSET-Based Case Study for Malawi," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-36, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:7:p:1395-:d:221823
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    2. Andreas Sahlberg & Babak Khavari & Ismail Mohamed & Francesco Fuso Nerini, 2023. "Comparison of Least-Cost Pathways towards Universal Electricity Access in Somalia over Different Timelines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-20, September.
    3. Vittorio Sessa & Ramchandra Bhandari & Abdramane Ba, 2021. "Rural Electrification Pathways: An Implementation of LEAP and GIS Tools in Mali," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, June.
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    5. Akbas, Beste & Kocaman, Ayse Selin & Nock, Destenie & Trotter, Philipp A., 2022. "Rural electrification: An overview of optimization methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    6. Bhattacharyya, S.C. & Palit, D., 2021. "A critical review of literature on the nexus between central grid and off-grid solutions for expanding access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    7. Giacomo Falchetta & Nicolò Stevanato & Magda Moner-Girona & Davide Mazzoni & Emanuela Colombo & Manfred Hafner, 2020. "M-LED: Multi-sectoral Latent Electricity Demand Assessment for Energy Access Planning," Working Papers 2020.09, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    8. El-Haddadeh, Ramzi & Osmani, Mohamad & Hindi, Nitham & Fadlalla, Adam, 2021. "Value creation for realising the sustainable development goals: Fostering organisational adoption of big data analytics," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 402-410.
    9. Alexandros Korkovelos & Dimitrios Mentis & Morgan Bazilian & Mark Howells & Anwar Saraj & Sulaiman Fayez Hotaki & Fanny Missfeldt-Ringius, 2020. "Supporting Electrification Policy in Fragile States: A Conflict-Adjusted Geospatial Least Cost Approach for Afghanistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-34, January.
    10. Ciller, Pedro & Lumbreras, Sara, 2020. "Electricity for all: The contribution of large-scale planning tools to the energy-access problem," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
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    12. Alexandros Korkovelos & Hisham Zerriffi & Mark Howells & Morgan Bazilian & H-Holger Rogner & Francesco Fuso Nerini, 2020. "A Retrospective Analysis of Energy Access with a Focus on the Role of Mini-Grids," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-29, February.
    13. Andrés González-García & Pedro Ciller & Stephen Lee & Rafael Palacios & Fernando de Cuadra García & José Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, 2022. "A Rising Role for Decentralized Solar Minigrids in Integrated Rural Electrification Planning? Large-Scale, Least-Cost, and Customer-Wise Design of Grid and Off-Grid Supply Systems in Uganda," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-31, June.
    14. Mu-Xing Lin & Hwa Meei Liou & Kuei Tien Chou, 2020. "National Energy Transition Framework toward SDG7 with Legal Reforms and Policy Bundles: The Case of Taiwan and Its Comparison with Japan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-20, March.
    15. Falchetta, Giacomo & Mistry, Malcolm N., 2021. "The role of residential air circulation and cooling demand for electrification planning: Implications of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    16. Giulio Vialetto & Marco Noro, 2019. "Enhancement of a Short-Term Forecasting Method Based on Clustering and kNN: Application to an Industrial Facility Powered by a Cogenerator," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-16, November.
    17. Pedro Ciller & Fernando de Cuadra & Sara Lumbreras, 2019. "Optimizing Off-Grid Generation in Large-Scale Electrification-Planning Problems: A Direct-Search Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-22, December.
    18. Falchetta, Giacomo & Stevanato, Nicolò & Moner-Girona, Magda & Mazzoni, Davide & Colombo, Emanuela & Hafner, Manfred, 2020. "M-LED: Multi-sectoral Latent Electricity Demand Assessment for Energy Access Planning," FEP: Future Energy Program 305213, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) > FEP: Future Energy Program.
    19. Kocabaldır, Canan & Yücel, Mehmet Ali, 2023. "GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis for spatial planning of solar photovoltaic power plants in Çanakkale province, Turkey," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 455-467.
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