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In this study, we examine the impact of rural electrification on women empowerment. Previous studies have examined this relationship mainly using self-reported measures of empowerment, and experimental approaches. We conduct an incentive-compatible framed field experiment in a natural household setting. We modify the public goods game by introducing a trade-off between real household items and cash in three scenarios: a woman-only case, a man-only case, and a joint decision case. We then construct a women empowerment index ranging between 0 and 1. A joint decision closer to 1 indicates greater bargaining power for the wife, while a joint decision closer to 0 indicates greater bargaining power for the husband. We then apply propensity score matching to address potential selection bias. We find households in rural electrification villages, to have higher women empowerment index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between solar off-grid electrification and socio-economic development of rural Sierra Leone through the lens of the Sustainable Livelihood approach. To this end, the study focuses on the level of household income, education, and fuel choices for cooking as three selected outcome variables. The empirical analysis is based on the field survey data from the recently electrified Mobai and non-electrified Pendembu - two rural communities in Kailahun district of the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The study finds that electrification associates with a move of the household income to a higher income bracket and an increase of daily learning hours of the primary and low-secondary school-age children by 42 min a day. Furthermore, the clean electricity access in Mobai has not resulted in the replacement of carbon-intensive fuels such as firewood or charcoal with renewable electricity for cooking. This is attributed to the lack of affordability of electricity and electric stoves, and also the taste preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the nexus between electrification of the mountainous rural areas and selected indicators of socioeconomic development, such as household income, learning hours, and fuel choices in cooking behavior. The empirical investigation is based on the field survey in the recently electrified Yapshor and non-electrified Deh villages of the Rushan district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. The study reveals a strong positive impact of electrification of these villages on the level of household income and daily learning hours of school-age children. Getting electricity access leads to a 34–48% increase in household income and to 71–95 min of additional daily learning hours for school-age children. Furthermore, electricity access also strongly contributes to the substitution of firewood, coal, or animal manure with clean electricity for cooking. Due to individual taste preferences there is, however, still a substantial percentage of village dwellers who have not shifted to clean electricity for cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the past and current practices for rural electrification and the current trend in using off-grid microgrids to provide energy to the customers with no access to the central electricity network. The challenges correspond to the capacity expansion of off-grid microgrids including the financial and business models for establishing these technologies, the economic and reliability considerations, the environmental issues, the expansion and feasibility studies, and the uncertainties in the operation horizon were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural electrification is a crucial process of enhancing the modern energy access of rural communities which is an important global development goal. Electric cooperatives have played an important role as drivers of rural electrification worldwide, both historically and contemporaneously. The emerging role of cooperatives in rural electrification is yet to be examined in the context of East Africa, a region that experiences serious infrastructure deficits alongside widespread rural poverty. This study adopts a political economy perspective to explore the roles and challenges of cooperatives in rural electrification in Uganda. Through a high-level case study of two electric cooperatives, we show that while the cooperatives can deliver rural electrification, they face a series of political and economic challenges in fulfilling their mission. To enhance rural electrification through cooperatives, the challenges should be addressed by policy solutions: (1) providing more support to rural households that cannot afford electricity; (2) providing further support to cooperatives to avoid overburdening the community; (3) enhancing investment to upgrade the grid and extend its geographical coverage; and (4) exploring new financial and technological options for rural electrification. We expect the findings of this study to be useful to policymakers, implementers, cooperatives, and international donors currently working in rural electrification in Africa and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrification is a promising approach to most carbon-emitting sectors of economic sectors of human activities such as transportation and industry sectors. Electrifying the machinery and different systems used in a farm can mitigate the carbon footprint of the agriculture sector if renewable energy sources are coordinated with the agricultural loads appropriately. This paper presents a road-map that: 1) presents greenhouse gases emitting activities in the food supply chain, 2) the potential impact of vertical farming on the agriculture sector, 3) discuss the carbon footprint of different activities in the food supply chain, and 4) presents a road-map to decarbonize greenhouse gas emitting activities in farms. This paper estimates that electrification of farms in an appropriate process with renewable energy resources can decrease the carbon footprint of farming 44–70% depends on the type of the farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation and transmission cooperatives and distribution cooperatives have developed a relationship based on an all-power-requirements contract that will likely be untenable within a deregulated environment. Application of a key bargaining model indicates substantial advantages in favor of REC customers that will necessitate a search for other contractual forms that give customers flexibility to take advantage of deregulated market rate savings while still allowing G&Ts to retain low-interest federal financing options. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Addresses issues confronting rural electric cooperatives in the United States. Includes purchase of wholesale power for resale to members; Importance of market intelligence; Unbundling of the business into discrete activity areas; Selected activities of notable cooperative leaders.

• End-use electrification could accelerate and increase generation capacity additions. • Electrification could support greater cost-effective integration of renewables. • Costs per incremental unit of electricity grow modestly with electrification. • Electrification reduces energy sector emissions and primary energy consumption. Electrification of end-use technologies could have important implications for bulk power sector planning, operations, and impacts. By combining previously-defined electrification scenarios with capacity expansion modeling, we evaluate the potential challenges and opportunities associated with electrification. Our scenario analysis reveals that electrification reduces energy consumption and air emissions from across the energy sector, and its impacts on energy system costs are modest due, in part, to the abundance of low-cost resources in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important strategy for New England states to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets is increased electrification of transportation and residential heating alongside the expansion of intermittent wind and solar electric generation resources. Large-scale battery storage is investigated to shift temporally generation from when it is produced to when it is needed due to multi-day renewable resource production declines. Firm generation resources or a technology breakthrough is needed to meet demand during these multi-day periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Profitability predicts capacity generation additions better than levelized costs. • Rewarding fossil fuels' portability creates conflict with premise of carbon pricing. • Capacity markets may represent a market barrier to renewables. • Expanded minimum offer price rule in PJM boosts natural gas plants specifically. • Least-cost optimization favors natural gas if VRE constrained, solar PV if not. While electrification has been proposed as a key mechanism for combating global warming, fossil fuels are still the mainstay of the electricity sector in the US. Power generation technologies were evaluated in two regions: California (CAISO) and the Mid-Atlantic (PJM). Technologies are ordered via multiobjective optimization using genetic algorithms to resolve a bounded knapsack problem. Price factors for each technology are established. A net present value is assessed for representative projects in each region and technology, including capacity payments and renewable energy credits in PJM. Local sensitivity analysis is performed. Renewables were selected most frequently in the cost optimization with no constraints on variable renewable energy. However, when solar photovoltaic and onshore wind generation are constrained to 30–70 % of the total capacity addition, natural gas is the most selected technology. Profitability was highest for natural gas based plants in PJM except where solar renewable energy credits are available. Selectivity of incentives to natural gas plants from PJM capacity payments are intensified by the recent order to extend the minimum offer price rule. This calls into question the suitability of carbon pricing in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As developing countries ramp up efforts to secure adequate rural electrification, mini-grids are growing in popularity. However, a key barrier for their widespread deployment remains the inherent uncertainty around revenue and project sustainability. To address these concerns, preliminary energy-use surveys that assess the suitability of a site for mini-grid installation should be utilized. Energy-use surveys account for village demography, current and projected demand and willingness to pay, amongst other parameters. This study presents a preliminary quantitative and qualitative methodology for evaluating the suitability of a rural village for the installation of a mini-grid. The framework may be used by energy service companies and project managers prior to selecting a site for a mini-grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the relationship between private participation, regulatory governance and the performance of the electricity sector in 18 Latin American countries over the last five decades. Private investment flows have been consistent overtime, providing around 55 % of total electricity investment in the region. We examine the nature, and resultant performance outcomes, of increased private sector involvement in electricity sub-sectors, including generation capacity, non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE), electricity access, electricity losses, and affordability. The results suggest that private investment and the quality of regulatory governance are positively associated with better performance of the electricity sector. Our long-term examination suggests that private investments strongly contribute to enhancing the quality and efficiency of the electricity sector's performance by increasing generation capacity, increasing the share of renewable energy, increasing access, and reducing electricity losses. Affordability of electricity services also improved in countries with high private participation, while subsidies to the electricity sector declined considerably. These outcomes seem to be enabled and reinforced by independent regulatory governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to electricity at affordable cost is an essential ingredient for rapid and sustainable economic development, which directly contributes to economic growth and poverty reduction of a community. This article presents the design and execution procedure of the photovoltaic microgrid system carried out at Lajolo Community and its neighbouring communities in Nigeria. The primary aim of the project is to provide clean electric power to the people of the communities to increase their productive capacities and improve the quality of life in the remote area. The work is equally intended to stimulate rapid economic growth, thereby generating new income alternatives that result in social well-being of the case study communities. The project, when commissioned in January 2018, has greatly improved the economic activities and social life of the beneficiary communities. It also increases the security of the communities at night. With the provision of a motorized borehole for irrigation system, the villagers, who are predominantly farmers, can now farm all year round with bumper harvest. In this paper, recent developments in the solar energy microgrid across the globe is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Using Modern Portfolio theory in the electricity sector can help address the energy trilemma and stimulate investment into renewable energy sources. • The current portfolio of electricity generating resources in Kenya is not optimal. • Diversified electricity-generating resources portfolios are cheaper and have less risk. Affordable and reliable electricity is a development priority, but many people in low-income countries continue to live without it. The main challenge to ensuring universal access to electricity is the energy trilemma: striking a balance between costs, security, and environmental sustainability. Kenya is one of the countries that face energy trilemma as the electricity demand expands. We use modern portfolio theory (MPT) from the finance sector to address this challenge by deriving a theoretical efficient frontier for electricity generation in Kenya. The study finds that although the current portfolio of electricity generation in Kenya is not optimal, it is possible to shift to an efficient portfolio that has lower costs, is diversified, and environmentally sustainable. We conclude that MPT addresses the energy trilemma and therefore, it can help in the planning of electricity generation in countries whose electricity sectors are still developing. Our study adds to the literature about the applicability of MPT in the electricity sector and proposes ways for Kenya to improve the electricity-generating portfolio. We anticipate that the results will encourage electricity sector planners to consider portfolio planning for electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to electricity is still a challenge in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, over 70% of the rural dwellers do not have access to electricity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of a smart microgrid for off-grid rural electrification in Nigeria. A combination of design thinking and model-based design methodology is employed to select a suitable microgrid configuration and to develop a smart microgrid model. A system consisting of a solar photovoltaic array, battery energy storage and a diesel generator is selected, and the model is developed in Simulink. Demand data from 10 rural communities in Nigeria are used to validate the performance of the model and the potential for demand management is considered. The use of energy efficient light bulbs is found to reduce the peak electricity demand of the case study communities by 42 to 76%. Combining the proposed system with the use of LED bulbs makes the system to have 56 to 81% less net present cost than a system with a diesel generator alone and incandescent light bulbs. The proposed smart microgrid is found to be more suitable for off-grid rural electrification in Nigeria than diesel generators which are currently used for off-grid electrification in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a new vision for energy efficiency ("EE 2.0″) based on the concept of energy optimization and lays the foundation for subsequent articles on EE in this special issue of Electricity Journal. Energy efficiency is key to reducing the size of the energy challenge, to accelerating the achievement of its solution, and to enhancing energy productivity, but old ideas that ignore the potential benefits of electrification and narrowly equate energy efficiency with efforts to reduce consumption of a single energy source — like electricity — need to evolve. The key to affordable decarbonization is making optimal use of low-cost, emissions-free energy sources, when and where they are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]