Optimal deployment of energy services for economic upliftment of low-income communities: A South African case study

B.J.M. Tulkens, Schalk W.P. Cloete (Corresponding author), Pfunzo Muvhali, Rob J.M. Bastiaans

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Abstract

Low-income communities face a causality dilemma: A lack of energy services hampers income growth and insufficient income hampers energy service provision. Interventions delivering cost-effective energy services can address this dilemma, triggering a virtuous cycle of economic upliftment. While several studies have investigated cost-effective energy supply to low-income communities, a gap exists regarding holistic optimization of energy service deployment at different levels of economic development. Hence, a novel energy system model of a South African village is presented to optimize deployment and hourly dispatch of energy supply and energy services to recover time lost to poverty-related activities (e.g., gathering wood and water). Results showed that an optimized technology rollout can save each person over 1500 productive hours per year at an average cost below 0.2 $/hour. The model also identified the optimal order of technology deployment for driving economic development. Interestingly, an electrical grid connection was of minor importance because local mini-grids could economically supply the modest power demands of lighting, refrigeration, water pumping, and cleaning, while energy-intensive cooking and water heating can be economically performed using fuels and solar heaters. Detailed studies of individual low-income communities are recommended to outline optimal technology deployment strategies and reveal the low costs involved.
Original languageEnglish
Article number129444
Number of pages14
JournalEnergy
Volume285
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Dec 2023

Funding

This work was completed as an internship project and did not receive external funding. However, the authors want to acknowledge the input of three anonymous reviewers whose detailed feedback prompted major revisions that improved the quality of the study.

Keywords

  • Energy system model, Poverty alleviation, Rural electrification, Off-grid, Africa
  • Energy system model
  • Rural electrification
  • Off-grid
  • Poverty alleviation
  • Africa

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