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- Böhler, Tom, 1955
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Vindkraft, landskap och mening. En studie om vindkraft och människans rumsliga preferenser
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The point of departure for this thesis is a core question in present-day environmental work, namely how to balance the conservation of nature against its utilisation. A wind power venture on a large scale energy production will, for instance, obviously have an impact on the natural scenery of the coastline. The overall aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of how notions about the relationship between nature and society articulated in present-day environmental work influence what are regarded as possible solutions for tomorrow's sustainable society. The more specific aim is partly to better understand how conceptions of nature affect people's attitudes to wind power, and partly to understand how such attitudes are reproduced. The thesis is based on two different empirical studies. One consists of 26 interviews conducted during the period 1995-1997 with people who either through their work or idealistic interests have been regarded as being able to have some influence regarding the establishment of wind power along the west coast of Sweden. The other study is a textual analysis, conducted during 1999-2002, of a number of documents that in various ways take up the landscape of wind power. The study brings forward that the traditional distinction between nature and culture is still important, but that it is no longer a question of separating the natural from the cultural, but rather a question of separating what could be termed enjoyment landscape from industrial landscape. The study further brings forward that the care of cultural monuments, nature conservancy and physical planning form a powerful discursive coalition for the preservation of the landscape. The study also brings forward that in the discourse about wind power there are important aspects of landscapte that are marginalised. The debate about whether wind power should be used in a landscape or not, generally concerns aesthetics. Other important aspects such as the connection between local renewable energy production and global environmental responsibility are seldom taken up. Finally it is argued that the ambivalence manifested in some of the interviews concerning wind power should not primarily be regarded as resistance to wind power as such, but more as an expression of uncertainty about the direction in which society is moving.
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- Gustavsson, Mathias, 1969
(författare)
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Solar energy for a brighter life. A case study of rural electrification through solar photovoltaic technology in the Eastern Province, Zambia
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Electricity is taken for granted in many parts of the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, typically less than 5% of the rural population have access to this energy source. Even though electricity in itself does not lead to development, it can support a development process. Rural development and rural electrification often go hand-in-hand, but electrification is expensive, and power companies are often reluctant to venture into rural electrification. Small solar photovoltaic systems have become an alternative to extending the grid. Their power output is limited, but many energy services such as electric lighting, music, and information from radios can be obtained. One barrier to widespread use of solar technology is the cost. During the 1990s several solar projects were implemented in many places in Africa where different delivery mechanisms were used to overcome the cost barrier. One such project was the PV-ESCO project in the Eastern Province of Zambia, implemented by the Department of Energy, Zambia. Solar services were offered to users on a fee-for-service basis, meaning that the clients pay for the service and an energy company owns and maintains the system. The aim of this thesis is to study the introduction of solar electric technology in this area and how it affected people’s lives and livelihoods. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods has been used, including surveys, energy-use studies, and interviews. The results show that the most appreciated energy service is the improved lighting, which enables people to work, read, and write during the dark hours. Households constituted more than 90% of the users; shops, schools, and health clinics were also found. The households normally had at least one formal income, which is not typical for the area. With solar electric services the community institutions could improve the services offered. The solar systems were often used at above the intended capacity, leading to damage to the batteries. The fee-for-service model used in the project proved successful in enabling three companies to install, maintain, and repair solar systems, but less successful in creating a situation where the number of systems was increased. Solar electric services can improve the living standards of people, and can also bring about improvements for social services such as schools. But successful operation of the technology will require support structures for training and loans. The conceptual framework applied in this thesis illustrates the complexity of the application of solar photovoltaic technology to rural electrification and development.
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- Havugimana, Emmanuel, 1956
(författare)
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State policies and livelihoods - Rwandan Human Settlement Policy. Case Study of Ngera and Nyagahuru Villages
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Through a case study of two villages of the Southern Province of Rwanda, this thesis explores the effects on Rwanda National Settlement Policy on the livelihoods of the rural population. With today 344 inhabitants per km², Rwanda has the highest population densities of Sub-Saharan Africa. Subsistence agriculture is the mainstay for more than 90 percent of the population. Since 1997, Rwanda has undertaken a controversial policy of grouping people in villages whereas rural traditional habitat is that of scattered homesteads on the hills’ slopes. The rationale of the policy is dealing of high demographic pressure on little arable land. Grouping people in villages would free more land for cultivation. But the policy is also profoundly rooted in the history of the country for the last half century. Between 1952 and 1972, experiences of agricultural modernization were conducted through the so-called paysannats. A villagisation experiment was tried in 1970es-1980es in pilot villages without much success. The new habitat policy is like a continuation of those past experiences. However, the new policy was mainly driven by the genocide of 1994 and its aftermaths. Tutsi returnees after more than three decades in exile and genocide survivors whose houses were destroyed needed a safe place to stay when the genocide ended in July 1994. Some occupied properties of Hutu who left the country in the wake of RPF victory fearing reprisals. When Hutu returnees were forced back home in 1996-1997, the government needed to find a way to address the property issue, to avoid further sociopolitical violence. Analyzing the cases of Ngera and Nyagahuru, two villages of the southern Province constructed by the Belgian Cooperation in 1998-2000, the thesis indicates the vulnerability situation of imidugudu villages’ dwellers. A high rate of women headed households, direct consequence of the genocide, scarce natural resources, weakness of social institutions and little possibility of non farm activities are important elements which need to be taken into consideration to make a decent living for all. The government of Rwanda has initiated other policies closely related to Human Settlement Policy like Agricultural Policy, Land Policy and Environmental Policy. The thesis examines important aspects of those policies which influence the livelihoods of “imidugudu” dwellers. The thesis ends suggesting some other possible ways of rural development which should be explored.
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