IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natene/v9y2024i5d10.1038_s41560-024-01490-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards responsible and fair pay-as-you-go energy access in sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Tash Perros

    (University of Liverpool
    University College London)

  • Sam Unsworth

    (Chalmers University of Technology)

  • Muez Ali

    (University College London
    Qatar Foundation)

  • Iwona Bisaga

    (Independent consultant)

  • Julia Tomei

    (University College London)

Abstract

Market-based solutions are playing an increasingly important role in advancing the energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Here we focus on pay-as-you-go (PAYG) energy systems, a market-based approach that enables users to pay for energy in small amounts. While acknowledging the benefits of PAYG, we draw attention to six areas of concern about its implementation, including the suitability of PAYG business models to serve lower-income households, data collection and use, and the characteristics of PAYG energy providers and investors. We outline an agenda for inclusive PAYG energy systems in a proactive effort to shape a rapidly evolving sector. We hope that by anticipating these risks, we can help ensure that the PAYG sector is appropriately regulated and that its benefits accrue to the intended beneficiaries.

Suggested Citation

  • Tash Perros & Sam Unsworth & Muez Ali & Iwona Bisaga & Julia Tomei, 2024. "Towards responsible and fair pay-as-you-go energy access in sub-Saharan Africa," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 9(5), pages 520-525, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:9:y:2024:i:5:d:10.1038_s41560-024-01490-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-024-01490-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-024-01490-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41560-024-01490-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

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

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:nat:natene:v:9:y:2024:i:5:d:10.1038_s41560-024-01490-1. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    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.