Power struggles: Advances and roadblocks of solar powered mini grids in Tanzania

Rural energy poverty persists in Tanzania, with 77% of the population not having access to electricity. A combination of high solar radiation and slow extension of the national energy grid has raised off-grid solar PV based mini-grids as a potential solution. In this paper, a novel extension to the Technological Innovation System (TIS) function approach is used to analyze the positive and negative trends of solar PV based mini-grid diffusion in the country. This framework, adapted for a Global South context, considers key dynamic processes (functions) and structural components (actors and institutions) that are considered essential for diffusion of technological systems, along with the general institutional infrastructure, informal institutions and other contextual factors that may influence the development and implementation of solar PV based mini-grid systems. Based on a combination of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and secondary data, the paper identified negative trends in several functions such as market formation, entrepreneurial activities and guidance of the search. The paper demonstrates a clear link between the worsening conditions for solar PV mini-grids with institutional changes as a result of the new political direction for the energy sector that followed the 2015 presidential election in Tanzania.