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Sökning: WFRF:(Ahlborg Helene 1980)

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1.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • A background on social context and renewable energy sources in Mozambique and Tanzania - An initial report from the STEEP-RES project
  • 2009
  • Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • This initial research report, appearing before the formal commencement of the STEEP-RESproject, focuses on the background and context of the project which is intended to make asocio-technical-ecological assessment of prerequisites to and effects of introducing renewableenergy sources (RES) into rural communities of the coastal Tanzania and Mozambique. Thereforea short review of the scientific literature is made dealing with societal prerequisites andrepercussions of electrification. Technical aspects related to the availability of natural resourcesand technologies for renewable energy resources utilisation are also briefly coveredalong with some very brief remarks on possible environmental repercussions.The review of the social context covers > 45 papers dealing with different experiencesof electrification in developing countries relating to renewable energy applicable for povertyalleviation in rural settings. The primary energy sources in rural East Africa are biofuels andelectricity plays a limited role. Electrification influences the composition of the energy mix,but during early development it has very limited impact on the use of wood for cocking andheating purposes. The institutional and financial frameworks are currently major barriers tosmall-scale RES-projects, although local technical and financial capacities are slowly increasing.Social and cultural settings create important drivers and barriers to introduction and diffusionof new technologies. Further, poverty and gender inequality are considered key issues forelectrification projects and create important barriers to success. Participatory and needorientedapproaches are considered necessary by most researchers for successful RES-projects.The more technical review is based on ~50 papers covers the existing renewable energysources (RES) - biofuels, solar, hydro, geothermal, wind, wave and tide. The technologicalstate and resource abundance of each source is discussed briefly in a regional context,along with environmental considerations on each technology.As large scale hydropower is being used in the region since long, it is noticeable thatsmall- and micro-scale hydropower is now advancing and will contribute to electrification inmany smaller river-bound areas. Bioenergy, in terms of firewood is widely used for cookingpurposes, although not environmentally sustainable and not with potential for electricity generation.Biofuels from plantations is rapidly increasing in Africa as well as the global trend.Also here, environmental considerations are of great importance for sustainability. Other RESof potential in the region, and with perhaps less environmental constrains, may be solar photovoltaicand tidal energy. Of less importance, according to regionally sparse resource abuniidance, seem to be wind and wave energy. The potential of geothermal energy is geographicallyrestricted to a few good locations.An inventory of actors within the field of East-African RES based on internet resourcesreveals a “top-heavy” information situation with many and well-designed information sourcesand active networks on global and African regional level while less web-information is availablefrom local levels in Tanzania and Mozambique, where only few companies working inthe field has been identified. More direct investigations are needed starting from the actorsidentified in this initial inventory.
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2.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Bringing Technology into Social-Ecological Systems ResearchMotivations for a Socio-Technical-Ecological Systems Approach
  • 2019
  • Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 11:7
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The purpose of this synthesis paper is to present the motivations and conceptual basis for research on socio-technical-ecological systems (STES), addressing the need for interdisciplinary studies targeting the technological mediation of human-environment relationships. The background is the very limited number of collaborations between scholars of social-ecological systems and sociotechnical systems (SES), despite repeated calls for bridging work. The synthesis builds on an in-depth review of previous literature, interdisciplinary exchanges, and empirical examples. The result is arguments for why a sociotechnical understanding of technology' is of central importance for SES studies, related to how technology: (1) mediates human-environment relationships; (2) brings ambivalence to these relationships; (3) enhances and transforms human agency and provides a source of constitutive power; (4) changes scalar relationships, enabling our interaction with and impact on the natural world across time and space. Furthermore, we present an STES analytical approach which starts from symmetrical attention to technology, society, and environment, specifically targeting interfaces and relationships of critical relevance for SES scholars, and address counterarguments that we have encountered. We conclude that a shift to STES research will enhance our knowledge of system interfaces that are often overlooked, opening further avenues for research and real-world interventions.
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3.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Changing energy geographies: The political effects of a small-scale electrification project
  • 2018
  • Ingår i: Geoforum. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-7185. ; 97, s. 268-280
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This article contributes theoretically and empirically to our understanding about how a transition to ‘modern and sustainable energy for all’ may reconfigure the life of citizens who live ‘outside the grid’ in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. My inquiry is inspired by the question posed by James Ferguson and Tania Murray Li: what do development schemes do? I analyse a renewable energy pilot project in Tanzania that was implemented by an NGO, which eventually failed to continue its service delivery but still produced important effects. Conceptually, I build on and extend previous arguments about how development projects produce depoliticizing effects, have ambiguous effects, and reproduce unequal relations of power. Building on feminist and sociotechnical relational approaches to power, I identify when and where in the encounter between energy project and local community that these, and other, effects emerge. Case study data was collected by qualitative methodology, and consists of project documentation, observation, and interviews with actors involved. The study shows how particular material, social, emotional, and economic effects emerged from the encounter between the project and local society. Feedback between technical problems, financial difficulties, and social tensions created a downward spiral resulting in system failure. It had negative effects on the credibility of actors and on trust relations. I argue that asking what decentralized electrification schemes actually ‘do’ can provide insight relevant to energy geography, as the focus on effects reveals the sociotechnical and political relations through which electricity becomes possible and how it may reconfigure local places. The case study shows why and how a small-scale, renewable energy project only temporarily repositioned actors and places, produced ambiguous effects, and maintained unequal power relations.
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5.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Chimeras of Resource Geographies: unbounding ontologies and knowing nature
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: The Routledge Handbook of Critical Resource Geography.
  • Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • In the field of critical resource geographies, work on “socionatures” is well established. However, this growing body of work bridging across the social and natural sciences has not erased a number of frictions associated with disciplinary boundary crossing. We highlight three types of outcomes: epistemic closure, stickiness and sparks. We invite the figure of the chimera, a mythical creature of destruction and incommensurate parts, to argue for a plural—as opposed to hybrid—approach to resource geographies. We propose that far from being a position of “no discipline”, interdisciplinarity requires the embodying of multiple disciplines and the ability to understand how they relate and translate. For critical resource geographies, the chimera suggests that striving for consensus or dismissing other framings are both counterproductive. The chimera symbolizes an embodiment of plural positions, but rather than bringing chaos, she opens up a fruitful and multi-layered terrain of meaning, where new questions and perspectives come into view. We suggest that this is a highly productive terrain, but it meets with stubborn resistance from the scientific community. We counter it with the strangeness and ambiguity of the chimera to investigate the possibilities to “unbound” resource geographies throughmultiple ontologies.
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6.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Drivers and barriers to diffusion, implementation and management of renewable energy systems in rural Tanzania and Mozambique – interaction between stakeholders
  • 2011
  • Ingår i: http://www.stockholmresilience.org/download/18.1af8fee012f95b1467880002363/ws12+Ahlborg.pdf.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Renewable energy technologies are increasingly being used to electrify rural areas in developing countries. This study is based on semi-structured stakeholder interviews and field visits in Tanzania and Mozambique during eight weeks in 2010, identifying what energy sector stakeholders from national and local level perceive as drivers and barriers to rural electrification using decentralized renewable energy systems (RES). The interaction between national and local stakeholders is described and how they perceive the potential for RES; it is further analyzed whether different perspectives and understandings may create conflicts or barriers to successful implementation and management. The two neighboring countries face similar challenges, with high levels of rural poverty and low electrification levels (around 2 % of rural people have access to electricity). Due to long distances and high costs, many areas will not be covered by national electricity grids within a foreseeable future. Therefore, in some areas decentralized systems are the only economically feasible short-term alternatives. In most cases, this means costly and unreliable diesel generators. Replacing diesel generators with small-scale renewable energy systems such as solar PV systems, micro-hydro, wind or biofuels represents an opportunity to improve rural people’s lives and diminish the dependency on fossil fuels. Currently, both Tanzania and Mozambique have national policies and newly established government agencies promoting renewable energy rural electrification, but there are interesting social and political differences impacting implementation and management. In Mozambique, the diffusion of decentralized systems (solar PV and diesel generators) is a top-down process, where local participation is taking place on a consultancy and contractual basis. Civil society is very weak and there is little industry or private business in rural areas. In comparison, Tanzania has a strong civil society and there are local initiatives and private sector actors that play a part in electrifying the countryside. Still, rural poverty poses a difficult challenge working as a barrier to successful management and economic viability in projects. In both countries the top-down structure and low institutional quality of the energy sectors create financial and political barriers for local actors and non-governmental organizations. However, although RES are of limited technical capacity and face economical difficulties, their introduction work as a driver for increased demand and social development, improving the customer base for future grid extension.
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7.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Drivers and barriers to rural electrification in rural Tanzania and Mozambique – interaction between stakeholders
  • 2011
  • Ingår i: Working paper: NESS 2011. Power landscapes – histories and futures. Theme: The power of power. June 14-16, 2011. Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Mozambique and Tanzania are countries with very low rural electrification rates – far below 5 % percent of the rural population use electricity. The pace of rural grid electrification is slow and for most remote areas access to the national electricity grids will not occur within a foreseeable future. Off-grid (decentralized) electricity grids are seen as a complement and fore-runner to the national grid, making electricity available many years in advance and creating demand and a customer base. Most off-grid systems are supplied by diesel generators which entail unreliable and costly electricity. Alternative off-grid energy sources exist in the region, such as biofuels, wind, micro-hydro and solar PV; but there are significant barriers to adoption, adaptation and diffusion of such renewable energy-based technologies.In this study, the specific drivers and barriers for rural electrification and off-grid solutions in both countries are explored across a stakeholder spectrum. By qualitative methodology, data was collected in semi-structured interviews carried out with energy sector stakeholders from national to local level; and in visits to off-grid projects in Tanzania and Mozambique during eight weeks in 2010. Findings illustrate country-specific institutional, financial and poverty-related drivers and barriers to grid and off-grid electrification, as perceived by different energy sector stakeholders. The interaction between national and local stakeholders is described and how they perceive the potential for renewable energy sources; it is further analyzed whether different perspectives and understandings may create conflicts or barriers to successful implementation and management. In both countries the top-down structure and low institutional quality of the energy sectors create financial and political barriers for local actors and non-governmental organizations. However, although renewable energy sources are of limited technical capacity and face economical difficulties, their introduction work as a driver for increased demand and social development, improving the customer base for future grid extension.
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8.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Drivers and barriers to rural electrification in Tanzania and Mozambique – grid extension, off-grid and renewable energy sources
  • 2011
  • Ingår i: World Renewable Energy Congress 2011 – Sweden, 8-11 May 2011, Linköping, Sweden. - : Linköping University Electronic Press. - 1650-3740. - 9789173930703 ; 10:57, s. 2493-2500
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Mozambique and Tanzania are countries with very low rural electrification rates – far below 5% percent of the rural population use electricity. The pace of rural grid electrification is slow and for most remote areas access to the national electricity grids will not occur within a foreseeable future. Off-grid (decentralized) electricity grids are seen as a complement and fore-runner to the national grid, making electricity available many years in advance and creating demand and a customer base. Most off-grid systems are supplied by diesel generators which entail unreliable and costly electricity. Alternative off-grid energy sources exist in the region, such as biofuels, wind, micro-hydro and solar PV; but there are significant barriers to adoption, adaptation and diffusion of such RE-based technologies. In this study, the specific drivers and barriers for rural electrification and off-grid solutions in both countries are explored across a stakeholder spectrum. It is part of a larger research effort, undertaken in collaboration between Swedish and African researchers from natural, engineering and social sciences, aiming at an interdisciplinary assessment of the potential for an enhanced utilization of available renewable sources in off-grid solutions. By qualitative methodology, data was collected in semi-structured stakeholder interviews carried out with ten national level energy sector actors. Findings illustrate countryspecific institutional, financial and poverty-related drivers and barriers to grid and off-grid electrification, as perceived by different energy sector stakeholders.
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9.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Drivers and barriers to rural electrification in Tanzania and Mozambique - grid-extension, off-grid, and renewable energy technologies
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Renewable Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0960-1481 .- 1879-0682. ; 61, s. 117-124
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Mozambique and Tanzania are countries with very low rural electrification (RE) rates as only about 5% of the rural population use electricity. Despite efforts to extend the national grid in rural areas, most remote areas will not be reached within the foreseeable future. Off-grid (decentralized) electricity grids are seen as a complement and forerunner to the national grid, making electricity available many years in advance and creating demand and a customer base. Renewable energy sources are plentiful in the region and may be particularly useful for off-grid systems. The countries' power sectors are undergoing interesting changes with potential to speed up the pace of RE. However, there are significant barriers to effective RE by grid-extension and off-grid installations.In this study, the specific drivers and barriers for RE in Mozambique and Tanzania are explored across a spectrum of involved actors. By qualitative methodology, drivers and barriers were first identified through literature survey, then data was collected both in semi-structured interviews carried out with power sector actors from national to local level and in visits to off-grid electricity users in Tanzania and Mozambique during eight weeks in 2010. Findings illustrate generic, country-specific, and renewable-energy-technology-specific drivers and barriers to grid and off-grid rural electrification, as perceived by different power sector actors. Results were validated and discussed with three external specialists. Drivers and barriers strongly relate to the roles of national and local actors in planning and implementation. The main drivers are political ambitions based on expected growth of demand, but bottom-up drivers such as local initiatives by industries or churches also exist. The barriers are related to lack of access to human capital, to difficulties in planning and donor dependency, to low rural markets and little interest from private sector, and to more straightforward technical matters such as difficulties with installing electric equipment in traditional buildings. Although off-grid systems and renewable energy sources are recognized by the actors, specific barriers to these systems are related to young organizations responsible for implementation and to guilt-by-association with dysfunctional diesel-based off-grid systems.
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11.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Ecology and sociotechnical systems research – motivations for theoretical and methodological integration across fields
  • 2017
  • Ingår i: International Sustainability Transitions conference 2017.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Currently, we are witnessing a number of global trends that do not promise well for the future. Accelerating climate change, loss of biodiversity, chemical pollution, disappearance of natural forest and degradation of fishing grounds and agricultural lands are just a few of the serious environmental problems that threaten the functional and structural integrity of ecosystems, to an extent that also human societies risk collapse. The scale of human impact is now such that scholars suggest that we live in the Anthropocene. The trends are driven by several linked factors, which are not easily disentangled into manageable specific problems to be solved by specific policies. More than ever, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations are needed in order to address these urgent challenges. The objective of this paper is to argue for the importance of research on socio-technical-ecological systems (STES) rather than social-ecological (SES) and sociotechnical systems (STS) separately. Hence, we address researchers in both the social-ecological and sociotechnical fields. We organize the argument around six reasons why “technology” should be integrated into SES studies. We call these reasons: (1) the interface and mediation aspect, (2) ambivalence, (3) the agency aspect, (4) the question of scale, (5) the question of governance and politics, and (6) the question of epistemology and framing. We also highlight potential conceptual conflicts and mistranslations. Our discussion is primarily a theoretical argument, exemplified with empirical examples.Among the conceptual challenges, we note that SES scholars, if they consider technology in their analyses, generally treat it as an exogenous factor or as a passive background element. Similarly, STS scholars tend to neglect ecological dynamics and refer to the ecological domain mainly in terms of inputs and outputs, e.g. natural resources, environmental and health problems caused by human activities. In light of the discussion, we conclude that the importance of collaborating across the two fields goes beyond each field adding pieces together. We argue that integration and translation across these domains will lead to qualitative change in the theoretical and methodological approaches of both fields; and that technology, society and ecology should be given symmetric analytical attention.
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12.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Electricity for better lives in rural Tanzania and Mozambique. Understanding and addressing the challenges
  • 2012
  • Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Provision of electricity is essential for economic and social development. It renders possible modern communications, industrial and business development and provision of public services such as improved education and healthcare. But in rural Tanzania and Mozambique, less than 5% of the people have access to electricity from the national grids, and at the current pace it is unlikely that the majority of the rural population will be connected to the grid within a foreseeable future. Therefore decentralized, off-grid electrification is needed as a complement. These countries are rich in renewable energy sources, which could be utilized to meet the energy needs of rural people. The overall aim of the thesis is to identify and understand – from the perspective of involved actors – country-specific drivers and barriers, and prerequisites, to rural electrification in general, and off-grid electrification using renewable energy technologies in particular. The thesis includes a review of previous literature, presenting an exhaustive list of barriers to rural electrification (RE) in sub-Saharan Africa. The theoretical contribution is a bridging between research fields, done by a conceptualization of RE processes that combines a socio-technical system perspective with a user perspective that focus on how actors gain, control and maintain access to electricity and related benefits. It opens up for a valuable discussion on system functionality and sustainability. There is also a methodological contribution and discussion, developed in article 3, which highlights the importance of scale of observation and epistemology in research on complex processes of societal, technological and environmental change. The empirical work is based on qualitative interviews, project site visits in Tanzania and Mozambique and literature review. The results are presented in articles 1 and 2. The findings are in line with previous studies, but some barriers not previously emphasized in literature come out as important and ambiguous. The thesis also discusses why productive uses of electricity, which are seen as highly important, do not occur as much as hoped for and the multiple roles that private sector actors can take in RE, as producers, electricity consumers and service providers. So far, RE projects have not paid enough attention to what happens after introduction of electricity, and to possibilities for enhancing the capabilities of local actors to make full use of development potentials. Keywords: Rural electrification, Africa, Rural development, Renewable energy, Off-grid, Drivers and barriers, Access to electricity, Socio-technical systems
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16.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Mismatch Between Scales of Knowledge in Nepalese Forestry: Epistemology, Power, and Policy Implications
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: Ecology and Society. - 1708-3087. ; 17:4
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The importance of scale dynamics and scale mismatches for outcomes of natural resource management has been widely discussed. In this article we develop theoretically the concept of ‘knowledge scales’ and illustrate it through empirical examples. We define scales of knowledge as the temporal and spatial extent and character of knowledge held by individuals and collectives, and argue that disparate scales of knowledge are an important ‘scale mismatch,’ which together with scale politics, lead to conflicts in Nepalese forest management. We reveal how there are multiple positions within local knowledge systems and how these positions emerge through people’s use of and relations to the forest, in a dynamic interaction between the natural environment and relations of power such as gender, literacy, and caste. Nepalese forestry is a realm in which power and scales of knowledge are being coproduced in community forestry, at the interface of material and symbolic practices in use of forest resources, and in contestations of social-political relations. Further, we reflect upon the importance of clear and precise use of scale concepts and present a methodological approach using triangulation for divergence, enabling researchers and practitioners involved in natural resource management to reveal scale mismatches and politics.
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17.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Powering institutions for development - Organizational strategies for decentralized electricity provision
  • 2018
  • Ingår i: Energy Research and Social Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-6296. ; 38, s. 77-86
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The study addresses the question of how to achieve and sustain well-functioning local service delivery in institutionally difficult contexts, characterised by low levels of generalised trust, widespread corruption and poor institutions. We study a relatively successful case of decentralized electrification in Tanzania, and the process whereby an international NGO establishes a small-scale hydropower system with a local utility to own and operate it. Building on institutional theory, we investigate how to build trust in an organization, through a strategy of credible commitment; and how free-riding problems can be handled in a local development project. The qualitative study includes 119 semistructured interviews with project staff, villagers, and local and district government, observations and document analysis. The results indicate the importance of a positive ‘history of play’, sustained over time, and keeping distance from corrupt institutions, in order to build trust. Strict enforcement of rules was decisive for handling free riding behaviours, and impartiality in enforcement for perceptions of legitimacy and trustworthiness. Deviations undermined relations of trust. The results add nuance to more generic theoretical propositions and provide insights on un/intended consequences of institutional strategies. These are relevant for creating and sustaining local service organizations for electricity access and other public goods.
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18.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Provision of electricity to African households : The importance of democracy and institutional quality
  • 2015
  • Ingår i: Energy Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-4215 .- 1873-6777. ; 87, s. 125-135
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • How can differences in per capita household electricity consumption across African countries be understood? Based on theories that highlight the importance of democracy and institutional quality for provision of public goods, the aim of the paper is to analyse the degree to which the level of per capita household electricity consumption in African countries can be attributed to the countries’ democratic status and their institutional quality. We rely on regression analysis employing a pooled data set for 44 African countries over the time period 1996–2009. The analysis shows that democracy and institutional quality both have significant positive effects on per capita household consumption of electricity. Our results have implications for how energy sector reforms are promoted in developing countries. At a more general level they illustrate that institution-building policy efforts are relevant also in areas where contemporary debates have tended to primarily centre on economic development, financial prerequisites and ownership issues.
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19.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Small-scale hydropower in Africa: Socio-technical designs for renewable energy in Tanzanian villages
  • 2015
  • Ingår i: Energy Research and Social Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-6296. ; 5, s. 20-33
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In this article, we explore the process of economic change following the NGO-led implementation of a small-scale off-grid hydropower system in Tanzania. We examine how the implementing actor deals with economic challenges and local ownership in order to achieve sustainable electricity supply. The qualitative case study shows that the NGO, ACRA-CCS, has overcome a number of constraints, which are sometimes associated with donor funding. This has been achieved by having multiple donors, an integrated approach and a longer presence. The 'logic' of implementation included active enhancement of productive electricity use, community services and benefits. As a result of these actions, the customer base grew quickly, rather than it taking many years to develop. The case illustrates the process whereby an off-grid system becomes economically viable. Local ownership has led to the project becoming an arena for community collaboration and problem solving, and creating values such as effective load management and protection of infrastructure. We suggest that attention should be given to possible public private community partnerships (PPCPs)-involving communities as crucial partners. The choice of a socio-technical system perspective was fruitful and provided crucial insights into how different factors manifested, interacted and played out in practice.
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20.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Stakeholder-student interactions in engineering education: involving busy experts in project-based courses
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Proceedings Chalmers Conference on Teaching and Learning 2023. - 9789188041548 ; , s. 38-45
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Project based learning (PjBL) is increasingly used in engineering courses as a student-centred approach for designing and improving solutions for real-world problems. A key feature of PjBL is the interaction between the problem “owner” and the students who work with the given task. Previous literature documents these interactions primarily from the perspective of students and teachers, leaving us ignorant of the stakeholders’ experience. Undertaken within a larger development process of creating an entirely new project-based Bachelor course at Chalmers, the aim of this study is to better understand how to work with city official as stakeholders and owners of the complex real world problems in the course. The process entailed negotiations with the city government officials, ensuring their participation and engagement in the course. Qualitative data collection provides the basis for comparing expectations of stakeholders, students, and teachers with outcomes. Three components ensured long-term stakeholder involvement: relevant projects; clear rules of engagement for student-stakeholder interaction and; a final conference where students present results to stakeholder.
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21.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Technological power, complex systems, and boundary objects in global energy transitions
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: FRONTIERS IN HUMAN DYNAMICS. - 2673-2726. ; 6
  • Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • This study makes a case for why the field of political ecology (PE) would benefit from deep engagement with technological power, and exemplifies this within the domain of energy studies and the ongoing transformation of the energy sector. Technology is not among the core interests or traditional topics of PE-and is therefore often disregarded or treated as a black box. The argument presented in this study asserts that this omission undermines the analytical power and the relevance of the field. Technology is the central mechanism whereby socionatures evolve and how relationships are negotiated and enacted. The attitude towards technical things is partly based on the idea that technologies are just artefacts of little interest. Cross-field dialogue is also hindered by perceived ontological conflicts. This study draws upon research from the philosophy of technology and sociotechnical systems theory to introduce a dynamic understanding of technological power. Seeing what technology does and has the potential to do requires looking beyond the common emphasis on dominance and control, to the myriad ways in which technologies shape our everyday lives, ontologies, and imagining of the future. Taking on a contentious concept, I advocate for the use of "systems" as a boundary object suitable for cross-field dialogue. As an analytical construct without inherent scale, it works as a framing device for moving power and knowledge claims to the forefront, while also allowing dialogue outside academia.
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22.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Technology and social-ecological change: Scale mismatch, synergy and conflict in poor rural communities
  • 2015
  • Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • There is little communication and bridging between the research fields of social-ecological and socio-technical systems approaches, while both fields construct systems that share characteristics such as complexity, uncertainty and multi-actor involvement. Beyond that, little conceptual work has been done to understand socio-technical-ecological dynamics. In the real world, however, processes of socio-technical change are at the heart of human use of and relations to natural resources and environments. In this paper we argue that there is need to engage theoretically and empirically with the interfaces between society, technology and nature, to identify how these system conceptions overlap, where and how pressures and feedbacks emerge and what synergies, trade-offs and conflicts that appear as a result of interactions. In this paper, we aim to take the conceptual discussion forward by highlighting where the current discussion may be misleading and by providing an empirical example of how socio-technical change and social-ecological dynamics can be studied and analyzed together. In order to achieve this we draw on socio-technical systems thinking, the concept of scale mismatch and literature on common pool resources (CPR). Our conceptual points are developed using an empirical case study of an NGO-led micro-hydropower development project in Tanzania. The fieldwork took place in 2012-2013 over a period of three months, and multiple data sets were gathered; 142 semi-structured interviews, documentation from participatory observation, group discussions, workshops and documentation (project reports, a GIS study of soil erosion risk, a baseline study of local livelihoods).This case study of a small-scale decentralized energy system problematizes a proposal made recently by some socio-technical scholars: that collective action and CPR theories are relevant to apply in analyses of decentralized energy systems. These attempts at bridging theoretically between fields are valuable. However, the system characteristics are sometimes similar only at the surface, and the application of CPR theory can in some cases be misleading and theoretically flawed, in cases where the technology is poorly understood. Based on our case study and conceptual discussion, we conclude that introduction of a new technology can motivate influential members of a community to engage in natural resource management and environmental protection, also when this generates social conflict and has negative implications for local food security. Theoretically, we conclude that developed understanding of non-human elements, scale and relations of power are critical to advancing the bridging work while keeping complementary analyses genuinely grounded in the theoretical base of each field.
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23.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Theorizing power in political ecology: a case study of rural electrification and technology development in Tanzania
  • 2015
  • Ingår i: Conference paper. Power in political ecology, Research Workshop, Bergen 26-27 November 2015.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Power and politics have been central topics from the early days of Political Ecology. There are different and sometimes conflicting conceptualizations of power in this field that portray power alternatively as a resource, personal attribute or relation. The aim of this paper is to contribute to theorizations of power by probing contesting views regarding its role in societal change and by presenting a specific conceptualization of power, which draws on both political ecology and sociotechnical approaches in science and technology studies. We review how power has been conceptualized in the Political Ecology field and identify three trends that shaped the current discussion. We then develop our conceptual discussion and explicitly ask where power emerges in processes of resource governance projects. We identify four locations that we illustrate through a case of rural electrification in Tanzania that aimed at providing renewable energy-based electricity services to people in order to catalyze social and economic development. Our analysis supports the argument that power is relational and productive, and it draws on Science and technology studies to bring to the fore the critical role of non-human elements in co-constitution of society—technology—nature. This leads us to see power exercise as having contradictory and ambiguous effects. We conclude that by exploring the tension between human agency and constitutive power we keep the politics alive throughout the analysis and are able to show why intentional choices and actions really matter for how resource governance projects play out in everyday life.
  •  
24.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Theorizing power in political ecology: the where of power in resource governance projects
  • 2018
  • Ingår i: Journal of Political Ecology. - : University of Arizona. - 1073-0451. ; 25:1, s. 381-401
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Power and politics have been central topics from the early days of Political Ecology. There are different and sometimes conflicting conceptualizations of power in this field that portray power alternatively as a resource, personal attribute or relation. The aim of this article is to contribute to theorizations of power by probing contesting views regarding its role in societal change and by presenting a specific conceptualization of power, one which draws on both political ecology and sociotechnical approaches in science and technology studies. We review how power has been conceptualized in the political ecology field and identify three trends that shaped the current discussion. We then develop our conceptual discussion and explicitly ask where power emerges in processes of resource governance projects. We identify four locations that we illustrate empirically through an example of rural electrification in Tanzania that aimed at catalyzing social and economic development by providing renewable energy-based electricity services to people. Our analysis supports the argument that power is relational and productive, and it draws on science and technology studies to bring to the fore the critical role of non-human elements in co-constitution of society—technology—nature. This leads us to see power exercise as having contradictory and ambiguous effects. We conclude that by exploring the tension between human agency and constitutive power, we keep the politics alive throughout the analysis and are able to show why intentional choices and actions really matter for how resource governance projects play out in everyday life.
  •  
25.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Thirty-five years of research on energy and power: A landscape analysis
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. - 1879-0690 .- 1364-0321. ; 199
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The urgent need to mitigate climate change and decarbonise the energy sector brings the risk that wider social and environmental concerns about the sustainability of energy systems are neglected. Countries may achieve decarbonization goals while reproducing or worsening the unequal distribution of access, opportunities, costs and burdens that is inherent to current energy systems. This study is motivated by the tension between visions for change towards sustainable energy systems and historic and contemporary inequities on the ground. The study contributes a quantitative, global-scope overview of existing research that places energy users and their lives at the centre of analysis for inclusive and equitable transitions. It further identifies the themes, concepts and perspectives that dominate scholarly debate and analyses the presence and relative influence of work that explicitly considers relations of power. The stepwise review uses the Scopus database and multiple bibliometric tools, covering the period until June 2022. It adopts a novel approach to identify dominant and marginal topics, geographical contexts and theoretical lenses employed including the uptake of critical social science approaches. The results indicate that dominant studies fail to engage critically with relationships of power. Even within the debate on “energy poverty”, work based in critical theory approaches account for less than seven percentages of the total body of work. For work on “energy justice” and users, four percentages of publications account for gender. The dominant language is technical and depoliticized. The study identifies research gaps and promising avenues for further research.
  •  
26.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Towards a conceptualization of power and micro-level politics in energy transitions
  • 2015
  • Ingår i: International Sustainability Transitions Conference, 25.28 August 2015, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • In rich as well as in poor countries, the energy sectors are in transition from strongly centralised governance and production systems to increasing diversity in governance arrangements and modes of production. In Tanzania, barely 7% of the rural inhabitants have access to electricity services from the national grid. In many rural communities, local generation and micro-grid distribution based on renewable energy sources is being introduced for the first time, complementing the existing use of kerosene, candles, batteries and small diesel generators. This paper explores decentralized rural electrification (RE) processes in Tanzania from a socio-technical system perspective. The aim is to: (1) develop conceptual tools for studying relations of power in energy transitions, and (2) to use these to explain the interplay between power relations and sociotechnical change in a case of decentralized rural electrification in Tanzania. Previous research shows that electrification processes primarily benefit the better-off minority and, thus, serve to reproduce existing social hierarchies. Here, RE processes are conceptualized as fundamentally political processes in which struggles for control and access over various resources are taking place. They are also processes where the productive and creative abilities of humans can be enhanced and people can work together for mutual benefit. In order to make analytical sense of empirical observations in a case study in Tanzania, I undertake an explorative analysis of the multiple workings of power in RE processes.Starting from a review of innovation system literature, I conclude that existing conceptual frameworks do not allow me to fully capture the political dimensions of RE, which leads to the argument that the theoretical conceptualizations of (and not just the empirical attention to) political dimensions of energy transitions are still at an early stage. Engagements with the rich philosophical debate on human power can assist us in improving the clarity and precision of analysis and use of concepts. The paper takes a few tentative steps in that direction by integrating and developing theories on human power in relation to electrification and applying these to a case of small-scale hydropower development. The case study is based on data collected in Tanzania in 2012 and 2013, during a period of around three months. The material includes a total of 104 interviews with actors in the geographical area of the hydropower plant, participant observation and document analysis. The findings indicate that income gaps have grown as a consequence of larger economic benefits for the connected households. There is a sense of exclusion among villagers who cannot afford to connect to the grid. However, the introduction of electricity also has destabilized existing social relations and created a moment of expanding space for individual and collective agency in tension with existing societal structures, manifesting in women and men improving their social positions and women breaking traditional gender roles. Arguably, the tensions between agency and structure, between human capacity and system behaviours beyond the control of individual actors make electrification processes highly interesting and important objects of study. They can provide insights into the social and material base of political economies, and relationships between human and non-human system elements in processes of co-evolution between system and context. The use of socio-technical approaches in the Tanzanian context, and the engagement with theories of human power, open up to new areas of research and theoretical development in the field of energy transitions.
  •  
27.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Towards a conceptualization of power in energy transitions
  • 2017
  • Ingår i: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. - : Elsevier BV. - 2210-4224. ; 25, s. 122-141
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The field of sustainability transitions has recently benefitted from efforts by multiple scholars at better conceptualizing power and politics, and integrating insights from other fields. This article argues for an understanding of power as relational, productive, contingent and situated. I conceptualize power to the aim of understanding and explaining how and where power relations become de/stabilized in energy transitions in poor rural communities. An understanding of power as a relational capacity to act is integrated with a sociotechnical and relational understanding of constitutive power, which enables us to explore the co-production of social relations, technology and nature. The resulting conceptualization is applied to a case of mini-hydropower electrification in Tanzania. I find that electrification simultaneously reinforces social inequality and enhances social mobility. I identify material, symbolic and discursive domains that work as sources of de/stabilization of social hierarchies, producing effects on the system configuration and relations of class and gender.
  •  
28.
  • Ahlborg, Helene, 1980 (författare)
  • Walking along the lines of power. A systems approach to understanding co-emergence of society, technology and nature in processes of rural electrification
  • 2015
  • Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Many African governments, international and local organizations involved in development policy and practice consider rural electrification (RE) to be a priority. In the absence of electric grid infrastructure, rural populations rely on, for example, diesel generators, batteries and solar panels for their electricity supply and on kerosene, wood and charcoal for lighting and heating purposes. Increasingly, renewable energy technologies in small-scale decentralized systems are promoted as a complement or an alternative to the extension of national grids. Large-scale and small-scale RE processes differ in many respects. However, both are troubled by the gap between expected and actual outcomes. This thesis scrutinizes the assumption that ‘electricity brings development’. It shows the importance of asking questions related to the encounter between local societies and externally introduced technology in order to understand how and why RE processes in general, and decentralized RE in particular, unfold in particular ways – with short and long-term consequences for life in rural areas. In this thesis, I bring together socio-technical approaches, philosophical debates on human power and conceptualizations of scale. This allows me to explore RE processes and the points of intersection between society, technology and nature that are important for shaping the outcomes for different actors, and producing certain kinds of development. Together, these perspectives help us see how electrification processes are inherently political with on-the-ground dynamics embedded in and influencing more long-term development processes at higher societal levels.The thesis presents a synthesis of four empirical studies and combines broad and general analyses – of Tanzania’s and Mozambique’s energy sectors and RE prospects, and the role of democracy and institutional quality for public electricity provision in African countries – with two case studies of decentralized generation and micro-grid distribution in Tanzania. A fifth paper explores dimensions of scale, which are central to the theoretical and methodological approach of the thesis. The theoretical contribution is an analytical framework for studying processes of system formation in decentralized RE. It can guide further research and assist interdisciplinary communication around the complex challenges involved in RE processes. Furthermore, the thesis develops a conceptualization of the multiple workings of human power in electrification processes, which helps us understand how social inequality is maintained and contested. The conclusion is that even small-scale systems of local generation and distribution can be powerful enough to redirect processes of social and economic change and bring accompanying shifts in social identities, people’s use of and understanding of spaces, and the distribution of material resources.The thesis contributes to existing knowledge by developing conceptual tools for understanding the ‘messy’ human aspects of socio-technical change in relation to technical and ecological elements and processes. For the actors involved in RE processes, the thesis helps illustrate why conflicts of interest can be expected to emerge and where points of friction can occur. These are the points that require the continuous attention of actors involved in order to create positive feedbacks and avoid negative spirals. One of the conclusions is that actors involved in RE processes may contribute to the sustainable functioning of energy systems and positive outcomes by creating processes for dialogue, negotiation and learning.
  •  
29.
  •  
30.
  • Boräng, Frida, 1977, et al. (författare)
  • Institution building in challenging contexts – energy for development in Tanzania
  • 2017
  • Ingår i: QOG working paper series. - 1653-8919. ; 3
  • Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • The Sustainable Development Goal 7 includes achieving universal electricity access, which will require the deployment of renewable energy sources for small-scale and decentralized electricity provision. However, rural electrification (RE) projects – as well as development projects more gen-erally – often fail to maintain service delivery over time. In this paper, we approach the overarching question of challenges to development projects in contexts characterized by poverty, low trust and corruption. Previous work clearly demonstrates that development projects in general, and not least decentralized electrification projects, tend to face significant obstacles, and even fail, in such con-texts. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the mechanisms through which a “difficult” institutional context challenges institution building within development projects. More importantly, knowledge is also lacking regarding viable strategies for institution building in these contexts. In this paper, we study the process whereby an international non-governmental organization (NGO) implements a rural electrification project and establishes a small-scale hydropower station and a local utility to own and operate it. Through analyzing a development project with a relatively suc-cessful institution building process, this paper makes a contribution to the literature on institution building in challenging contexts. We investigate first how trust in an organization can be built in a context characterized by low levels of generalized trust, high levels of corruption and poor institu-tions, to the extent that people are prepared to invest in these organizations for long-term gain. Second, we study how free-riding problems can be handled in a local development project in a way that is both effective and legitimate. The analysis is based on an extensive empirical material from a qualitative case study, including 119 semi-structured interviews with project staff, villagers, and local and district government. Our study points to the importance of (a) a positive history of play and efforts to build trust that are sustained over a substantial period of time, (b) keeping distance from existing political institutions, (c) strict enforcement of the rules of the institution, and (d) strict impartiality in enforcement.
  •  
31.
  •  
32.
  •  
33.
  • Boräng, Frida, 1977, et al. (författare)
  • Powering institutions – credibility, enforcement and legitimacy
  • 2016
  • Ingår i: Conference paper. Quality of Government (QoG) Conference, 26-29 January 2016, Nice, France.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Through analyzing a development project with a relatively successful institution building process, and contrasting it to a less successful project, this paper seeks to make a contribution to the literature on institution building in challenging contexts. It investigates a) how trust in an organization can be built in a context characterized by low levels of generalized trust, high levels of corruption and poor institutions (to the extent that people are prepared to invest in these organizations for long-term gain), and b) can free-riding problems can be handled in a local development project in a way that is both effective and legitimate. The analysis is based on an extensive empirical material, including 119 semi-structured interviews with project staff, villagers, and local and district government. The results point to the importance of a) a positive history of play, sustained over a substantial period of time, b) keeping distance from existing corrupt institutions, c) strict enforcement of the rules of the institution, and d) strict impartiality in enforcement.
  •  
34.
  • Cherunya, Pauline C., et al. (författare)
  • Anchoring innovations in oscillating domestic spaces: Why sanitation service offerings fail in informal settlements
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Research Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-7333. ; 49:1
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • A persistent conundrum for practitioners and researchers in the development context is that, often, newly provided and improved basic services are not maintained by users despite seemingly superior functionality and user convenience. We argue that one major reason for this is an insufficient understanding of the context in which users have to manage their daily lives. We therefore propose an approach to analysing the embedding of basic services that focuses on the users’ daily practices. We do so by borrowing insights from ‘socio-technical transitions’ and ‘practice theory’ in developing our concept of oscillating domestic spaces. The concept reflects the need for people to constantly respond to quickly changing and precarious circumstances by rearranging their daily practices in time and space and developing a multiplicity of alternative options and partial solutions. We illustrate the analytical approach in a case study of sanitation access in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. The analysis shows how the introduction of a container-based toilet resulted in partial embedding. The innovation anchored to only a part of the oscillating domestic spaces and was in disarray with the needs of users most of the time. The conceptual approach contributes to the understanding about how users take part in sustainability transitions as well as the added value of the time-space dimension in analysing practices in highly complex contexts. We conclude by reflecting on the potential applicability of the analytical approach to transition cases in the Global North.
  •  
35.
  • Cherunya, Pauline Chepchirchir, 1985, et al. (författare)
  • Report from scoping of innovation hubs across Africa. Profiling best practices to inform establishment of an energy innovation hub at the University of Rwanda
  • 2020
  • Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Innovation hubs are being established across the globe as spaces and places where innovative ideas are nurtured and applied to solve emerging societal problems and market needs. There exists, today, more than 600 active hubs across Africa and the interest to establish new ones is widespread. The hubs are understood to have potential for supporting transformative economic growth and development in Africa, through innovation and entrepreneurship. While hubs have largely been established and promoted by innovators and entrepreneurs independently, we are observing growing interest by public and academic institutions across the globe – also in Africa. These institutions are increasingly acknowledging the value of providing support directly to entrepreneurs and innovators by nurturing and protecting their ideas, also by providing safe spaces to ‘fail’. An additional value is the possibility to build social communities within hubs that bring together academics, students, NGOs, policy makers, government administrators, international support organizations, industry actors, innovators and entrepreneurs, community members, etc. Interactions among these so-called ecosystem actors contribute to knowledge creation and provide new platforms that facilitate the development of knowledge economies. This study reports on the findings from a scoping study aimed at profiling best practices among innovation hubs in Africa, while highlighting the values of university-embedded hubs. Forty Five (45) hubs and other relevant organizations were identified and studied, of which fifteen (15) were university-embedded. This study finds that university-embedded hubs can contribute significantly to the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems by creating a pipeline of students that have gone through ideation stage and are ready to be incubated either on campus or by existing independent hubs. Additionally, academics play an essential role of providing scientific inputs to the development of products, in analyzing market conditions, and in developing frameworks to evaluate the contributions of hubs towards societal transformations.
  •  
36.
  • Ehnberg, Jimmy, 1976, et al. (författare)
  • Approach for flexible and adaptive distribution and transformation design in rural electrification and its implications
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Energy for Sustainable Development. - : Elsevier BV. - 0973-0826 .- 2352-4669. ; 54, s. 101-110
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • © 2019 International Energy Initiative Microgrids have an important role to play in achieving current international targets of electrifying poor rural communities around the world. In the East-African context, microgrid developers face challenges related to dispersed settlement patterns and high poverty levels that prevent many rural citizens from affording grid connections. Contextual factors influence demand for electricity, leading to uncertainties regarding development of consumption in newly electrified areas. Developers struggle with the sizing of microgrids and often initially oversize the system in anticipation of growing demand, which leads to significant investment costs and economic risk in case projected growth fails to appear. Our focus in this paper is to introduce an approach for flexible and adaptive distribution design – a process that can reduce initial investment cost and still be able to meet the long-term variations of the load in a controlled manner, thereby removing an entry barrier related to microgrid development. We exemplify the usefulness of this design approach in three different application areas: distribution capacity, transformation capacity and level of protection systems. Each application area consists of a number of steps based on mature technologies that correspond to change in capacity. The steps can be taken in sequence or in part, to achieve a system configuration adaptive enough to handle changes in electricity consumption, both increasing and, in some cases, also decreasing. Considerations on how steps would impact on system operation, power transfer capacity and demands on local technical expertise and maintenance are included. Importantly, the technical discussion details socio-economic aspects and the consequences for end-users as well as the utility. We exemplify the feasibility of the approach and provide a context for the discussion using real-world examples from East Africa.
  •  
37.
  • Ehnberg, Jimmy, 1976, et al. (författare)
  • Flexible distribution design in microgrids for dynamic power demand in low-income communities
  • 2016
  • Ingår i: IEEE PES PowerAfrica Conference, Livingstone, ZAMBIA, JUN 28-JUL 03, 2016. - 9781467399814 ; , s. 179-183
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Microgrids for electricity provision have an important role to play in achieving current international targets of electrifying poor rural communities around the world. In the East-African context, microgrid developers face challenges related to dispersed settlement patterns and high poverty levels that prevent many rural citizens from affording grid connection. Contextual factors influence demand for electricity, leading to uncertainties regarding development of consumption in newly electrified areas. Developers usually oversize the system in anticipation of growing demand, which leads to significant investment costs and economic risk in case projected growth fails to appear. Our focus in this paper is to introduce a concept of flexible distribution design-a process that can reduce initial investment cost and still be able to meet the long-term variations of the load, thereby reducing economic risks involved in microgrid development and thereby an entry barrier. We exemplify the usefulness of this design approach by seven steps of transfer capacity increase, which can be taken in sequence or in part, to achieve a distribution system configuration flexible enough to handle changes in electricity consumption, both increasing and in some cases also decreasing. Considerations on how flexible design would impact on system operation, power transfer capacity and demands on local technical expertise and maintenance are included. Importantly, the technical discussion is related to socio-economic aspects and the consequences for end-users as well as the utility. Real-world examples of application of the mature technologies from East-Africa address the feasibility and provide a context for the discussion.
  •  
38.
  • Gasore, Geoffrey, et al. (författare)
  • Progress for On-Grid Renewable Energy Systems: Identification of Sustainability Factors for Small-Scale Hydropower in Rwanda
  • 2021
  • Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073 .- 1996-1073. ; 14:4
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In Rwanda, most small-scale hydropower systems are connected to the national grid to supply additional generation capacity. The Rwandan rivers are characterized by low flow-rates and a majority of plants are below 5 MW generation capacity. The purpose of this study is to provide a scientific overview of positive and negative factors affecting the sustainability of small-scale hydropower plants in Rwanda. Based on interviews, field observation, and secondary data for 17 plants, we found that the factors contributing to small-scale hydropower plant sustainability are; favorable regulations and policies supporting sale of electricity to the national grid, sufficient annual rainfall, and suitable topography for run-of-river hydropower plants construction. However, a decrease in river discharge during the dry season affects electricity production while the rainy  season is characterized by high levels of sediment and soil erosion. This shortens turbine lifetime, causes unplanned outages, and increases maintenance costs. Further, there is a need to increase local expertise to reduce maintenance cost. Our analysis identifies environmental factors related to the amount and quality of water as the main current problem and potential future threat to the sustainability of small-scale hydropower. The findings are relevant for energy developers, scholars, and policy-makers in Rwanda and East Africa.
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39.
  • Gollwitzer, Lorenz, et al. (författare)
  • Rethinking the sustainability and institutional governance of electricity access and mini-grids: Electricity as a common pool resource
  • 2018
  • Ingår i: Energy Research and Social Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-6296. ; 39, s. 152-161
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Rural mini-grids are viewed as a key technology for providing access to electricity to the billion or more people that lack it by 2030 (in line with the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All commitment). But at present no model for the sustainable management of rural mini-grids exists, which contributes to high failure rates. This paper makes a number of contributions. First, it explores how electricity in mini-grids might be understood as a Common Pool Resource (CPR), opening up potential to learn from the extensive literature on institutional characteristics ofsustainable CPR management in the natural resource management literature. Second, it refines Agrawal’s (2001) overarching framework of enabling conditions for sustainable CPR management institutions to develop a framework applicable to rural mini-grid management in developing countries. Thirdly, the utility of this refined framework is demonstrated by applying it to analyse data from 27 semi-structured interviews with actors with expertise in mini-grid development and management in Kenya and 2 field visits to rural mini-grids there. This contributes a nuanced basis for future application of CPR theory to mini-grids and a systematic analysis of institutional challenges and possible solutions, which have hitherto received limited attention in the energy and development literature.
  •  
40.
  • Hojcková, Kristina, 1990, et al. (författare)
  • A global super-grid: sociotechnical drivers and barriers
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Energy, Sustainability and Society. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2192-0567. ; 12:1
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Background One way to design an electricity system wholly based on renewables is referred to as the global Super-grid, a vision of a transmission network of unprecedented geographical scope that uses advanced technology to balance spatially and temporally varying supply and demand across the globe. While proponents, since the 1960s, have argued that a global Super-grid is technologically possible and socially desirable, and significant technical progress has been made since the 1990s, development is slow with new transmission lines being built predominantly with established technology and within the boundaries of single countries. The aim of this study is to explore sociotechnical drivers and barriers of global Super-grid development. Results A main driver is the century old ideas that larger grids are more efficient and contribute to cooperation and peace. Over the last decades, the level of technical knowledge and networks of proponent have grown. The Super-grid also benefits from the potential opportunity of building on existing grids. Barriers stem from the scale of investments needed to experiment, path dependences in established industry and competition from novel smaller scale solutions based on local production, energy storage and smart grid technology. Other barriers originate in the organisational and institutional complexities of international electricity trade, and in the lack of trust at local and global levels, which hinder the development of necessary coordination. Conclusions The analysis suggests that if the Super-grid is to become part of a future electricity system, the discourse needs to open up, move beyond simplistic ideas of efficiency and 'technocratic internationalism', and take into account a broader set of social benefits, risks and trade-offs.
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41.
  • Hojcková, Kristina, 1990, et al. (författare)
  • Entrepreneurial use of context for technological system creation and expansion: The case of blockchain-based peer-to-peer electricity trading
  • 2020
  • Ingår i: Research Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-7333. ; 49:8
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This paper engages with the question of why certain radical innovations succeed while others fail or stagnate when encountering established actors and sector logics. We develop an analytical framework that extends the technological innovation systems (TIS) functional approach to explicitly account for contextual factors and entrepreneurial activities. We contribute to two ongoing debates: the conceptualization of context in TIS and the micro-foundation of TIS. First, a two-dimensional matrix is constructed to locate influential factors in the spatial (geographical) and sociotechnical (sectoral) contexts. Second, for early stages of the innovation process, we identify entrepreneurial activities as the locus of the system-building functions, i.e. the activities that use contextual and system-internal factors to develop the novel technological system. We use the TIS approach to analyze the innovation system build-up of peer-to-peer (P2P) electricity trading on a blockchain platform, materializing in two local projects, one in Australia and another in the USA. We find that how and why the new configuration succeeded in productively encountering electricity sector incumbents can be explained by the extent to which entrepreneurs could use opportunities in various contexts across spatial and sectoral boundaries.
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42.
  • Hojcková, Kristina, 1990, et al. (författare)
  • Three electricity futures: Monitoring the emergence of alternative system architectures
  • 2018
  • Ingår i: Futures. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-3287. ; 98, s. 72-89
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The electricity system is in transition, but whereto? To large-scale global or regional grids or to self-sufficient disconnected prosumers? Although numerous studies have previously dealt with the future of the electricity system, there is a lack of studies that attempt to monitor the development of more complete sets of socio-technical system elements that support alternative futures. This paper addresses this gap by first identifying and characterizing three idealized electricity system futures: ‘the Super-grid’, ‘the Smart-grid’ and ‘the Off-grid’, and then using the characterization to monitor the emergence, accumulation and alignment of socio-technical elements indicating the initial formation of new systems. Besides tracing the ongoing structural build-up at the niche level, we explore how the emerging systems relate to the existing electricity regime, other sectors and discourses. While the final outcome is undecided, the findings indicate that all three of the investigated systems have gained momentum over the last decade, partly relying on growth trends in shared elements such as the rise of renewables and climate change concerns, but also building on different technologies, actor networks, related industries and political and cultural discourses.
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43.
  • Michael, Kavya, 1985, et al. (författare)
  • A conceptual analysis of gendered energy care work and epistemic injustice through a case study of Zanzibar’s Solar Mamas
  • 2024
  • Ingår i: Nature Energy. - 2058-7546. ; In Press
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Energy and climate transitions bear an inherent risk of replicating historically embedded unjust gendered norms in the current energy regimes. Positioning our work within critical feminist scholarship, our study emphasizes the embedded nature of energy technologies within respective socio-economic, institutional and cultural contexts. We use a combined lens of care and epistemic injustice to examine the case study of Solar Mamas in Barefoot College Zanzibar, highlighting the nuanced interplay of power relations in decentralized energy transitions. This approach helps comprehend and value gendered energy care work as involving skilled labour in everyday life. Our findings illustrate the need for energy transitions research, policy and practice to be deeply informed by lived experiences, diverse practices of care within the energy webs and valuing of multiple voices. We argue that interventions prioritizing care and knowledge in decentralized, locally managed energy provisioning have the potential to disrupt established gender relations.
  •  
44.
  • Molander, Sverker, 1957, et al. (författare)
  • Förnybara energikällors inverkan på de svenska miljömålen
  • 2010
  • Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • I denna rapport beskrivs olika förnybara energikällors negativa påverkan på desvenska miljömålen. Resultatet har presenterats i form av ett antal konceptuellabilder som länkar miljöpåverkan i energislagens livscykelsteg till specifika miljömål.De energislag som studerats är vattenkraft, vindkraft, tunnfilmssolceller, kiselbaseradesolceller, solfångare, värmepumpar samt odlade biobränslen (såsometanol och raps metylester), biobränslen från avfall (såsom biogas) och biobränslenfrån skogsråvara (såsom flis och pellets). Miljöpåverkan har inte kvantifierats idenna studie, och ingen jämförelse energislagen emellan har utförts. Vad som dockvisats är att de ovan listade energislagen påverkar många svenska miljömål, ochden påverkan kommer att växa om de aktuella svenska målen för förnybar energiförverkligas. Mer detaljerade studier kring de förnybara energislagens påverkan påmiljömålen krävs således för att undvika negativ miljöpåverkan från förnybar energii framtiden. Denna rapport har utifrån dagens vetenskapsläge kartlagt de viktigasteverkningarna på de svenska miljömålens uppfyllelse från förnyelsebar energiteknik,och utgör således en grund för ett sådant mer omfattande arbete. Avslutningsvisges ett antal rekommendationer inför fortsatta studier på området.
  •  
45.
  • Osunmuyiwa, Olufolahan, 1991, et al. (författare)
  • Dismantling Power and Bringing Reflexivity into the Eco-modern Home
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Buildings and Cities. - 2632-6655. ; In press
  • Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Why accomodating gender & diversity is vital for the widespread adoption of smart energy technologies. Can renewable and smart energy technologies in the home avoid negative consequences for gender, power, and nature-society relations within the domestic sphere? Olufolahan Osunmuyiwa, Helene Ahlborg, Martin Hultman, Kavya Michael and Anna Åberg comment on ‘Masculine roles and practices in homes with photovoltaic systems’ (Mechlenborg & Gram-Hanssen, 2022) – published in a recent Buildings & Cities special issue ‘Energy, Emerging Tech and Gender in Homes’.
  •  
46.
  • Osunmuyiwa, Olufolahan, 1991, et al. (författare)
  • Inclusiveness by design? Reviewing sustainable electricity access and entrepreneurship from a gender perspective
  • 2019
  • Ingår i: Energy Research & Social Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-6296. ; 53, s. 145-158
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • There is a substantial literature analysing the role of electricity as a catalyst for economic development. However, there are significant knowledge gaps in whether such systems are or can indeed be designed in a gender sensitive way to promote equal opportunity for socially inclusive entrepreneurship at the local level. We make three main contributions with this paper. First, we carry out a literature review to unpack the gender-electricity-entrepreneurship nexus by identifying the agenda of the gender-energy and gender-entrepreneurship literature respectively and how they intersect and understand gender over time. Second, we synthesise key factors identified as hindering and driving empowerment in relation to electricity and entrepreneurship and identify the weaknesses of the respective literature. Third, we outline the contours of the conceptual intersection and develop a framework which shows how electricity systems can be designed to become favourable and economically empowering for both men and women. Furthermore, we demonstrate how local value chains can benefit from this electric inclusiveness. Finally, with our framework, we develop recommendations for strategic action and identify points of intervention in policy, planning, design and operation of electricity systems.
  •  
47.
  • Osunmuyiwa, Olufolahan, 1991, et al. (författare)
  • Stimulating competition, diversification, or re-enforcing entrepreneurial barriers? Exploring small-scale electricity systems and gender-inclusive entrepreneurship
  • 2022
  • Ingår i: Energy Research and Social Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 2214-6296. ; 89
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This article provides empirical contributions to our understanding of how small-scale renewable electricity systems (RES) can generate gender-equal opportunities for entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa. This ties with our recent enquiry into the gender-electricity-entrepreneurship nexus (Osunmuyiwa & Ahlborg, 2019). Conceptually, we apply our recently developed Gender and Socially Inclusive Electricity for Entrepreneurship framework to explore the degree to which small businesses are growing or changing their production processes through access to RES and the gendered dimensions of these processes. This approach allows us to first; unpack how entrepreneurs in local spaces interact with RES and how this stimulates entrepreneurial opportunities and enables small businesses to develop new product or service offerings. Second, examine how RES reliance on existing socio-political systems and institutions might perpetuate socio-economic and gendered imbalances and affect entrepreneurial outcomes in case communities. We operationalise the analytical approach in a case study of small-scale RES in a rural district of Njombe, Tanzania. Our results reveal a boost in entrepreneurial activities. However, we found gendered differences in the capacity to initiate and sustain new product or service offerings. Similarly, while access to RES affected entrepreneurs' perception about social status by spurring significant changes in views around female business ownership, most women remained in low-growth enterprises due to existing socio-economic and power imbalances. We conclude by providing critical reflections for policy and developmental organisations aiming to deploy RES to promote inclusive electricity use for entrepreneurship in low-income communities.
  •  
48.
  • Riva, Fabio, et al. (författare)
  • Electricity access and rural development: Review of complex socio-economic dynamics and casual diagrams for more appropriate energy modelling
  • 2018
  • Ingår i: Energy for Sustainable Development. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-4669 .- 0973-0826. ; 43, s. 203-223
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The causal relationships between electrification and development of poor, rural communities are complex and contextual. The existing literature focuses mainly on the impact of rural electrification and electricity use on local socio-economic development, while the reverse feedbacks of various social and economic changes on electricity demand and supply have not been fully characterized. Most electricity access impact assessments assume linear, one-way effects and linear growth in electricity demand. However, the projections rarely match the reality, creating challenges for rural utilities. From a modelling perspective, the lack of attention to dynamic complexities of the electricity-development nexus prevents the appropriate modelling of electricity demand over time and, hence, informed planning for and sizing of power plants. With the goal to improve modelling of the electricity-development nexus, we undertake a comprehensive review and extensive analysis of the peer-reviewed literature on electricity access and its impact on rural socio-economic development, and vice versa. We characterize and describe the nexus between electricity access and development through graphical casual diagrams that allow us to capture, visualise and discuss the complexity and feedback loops. Based on this, we suggest guidelines for developing appropriate models able to include and simulate such complexities. Our analysis confirms that electricity use is interconnected through complex casual relations with multiple dimensions of socio-economic development, viz. income generating activities, market production and revenues, household economy, local health and population, education, and habits and social networks. The casual diagrams can be seen as a first step of the conceptualization phase of model building, which aims at describing and understanding the structure of a system. The presence of multiple uncertain parameters and complex diffusion mechanisms that describe the complex system under analysis suggests that systems-dynamic simulations can allow modelling such complex and dynamic relations, as well as dealing with the high uncertainties at stake, especially when coupled with stochastic approaches.
  •  
49.
  • Unsworth, Samuel John, 1990, et al. (författare)
  • Agency, directionality, location and the geographic situatedness of knowledge making: The politics of framing in innovation research on energy
  • 2023
  • Ingår i: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. - 2210-4224 .- 2210-4232. ; 49
  • Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In this conceptual review, we use the concept of “framing” to explore how scholars work with innovation. Using a thematically and geographically diverse sample of 88 articles, we focus on sustainability transitions as research domain, energy as sector and literature review as method. Framings of innovation differ by themes such as agency, directionality and location, as well as onto-epistemological categories such as envisioned academic contribution and geographic situatedness of knowledge making. The implications of some framings are concerning, such as that econometric analysis of firm-level innovation in higher income countries can proxy for innovation globally, or that donors are the principal stimuli of innovation in lower income countries. This research shows how groups, places or outcomes are included or excluded in different domains of innovation research. We propose a heuristic tool which seeks to render explicit the boundaries for innovation drawn in any article, to aid reflexivity and epistemic humility.
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