Transcript Historical background - Energy for Development (EfD) Network

Rural electrification and poverty
alleviation: Lessons from
Zimbabwe
Presented at the EUEI facilitation workshop and policy
dialogue
26-29 October 2004
Ouagadougou
Maxwell C Mapako
Presentation structure
Country introduction
Background to rural electrification
Selected fuel use patterns and the
poor, comments on South African
and Zimbabwean patterns
Off-grid electrification and lessons
(there are more lessons from off-grid electrification
initiatives)
Zimbabwe selected facts
• Population ~13m
• Area 398 000 sq km
• Grid extension and
sales of solar home
systems nationwide
• JICA Study Project
was national but
much more limited in
geographical
coverage
• Chinese donation
was in one locality
north of Harare.
Rural Electrification (RE)
background
• Colonial legacy of neglect of the rural poor 1890-1980
• Independence in 1980. New government faced with high
expectations
• Thrust to electrify all rural growth points & service centres
started in the early 1980’s
• 1995 RE Masterplan Study (ADB-funded), approved by
Cabinet in 1997
• GEF funded Solar PV project ran 1993-1998
• JICA Energy Service Company (PV) study 1997-2002
• 2002 new Electricity Act passed: privatisation of electricity
utility (ZESA), setting up of RE Agency with own board having
majority of Provincial Administrators
• RE Agency embarked on the Expanded RE Programme,
funded by levy on electricity tariffs (rose 1%-6% in last 5
years) and government allocations
Expanded rural electrification programme in
Zimbabwe
• Rural electrification agency (REA) separate from utility
• Levy proceeds directly available to REA, does not go to
treasury
• Criteria for rural centres include proximity to grid and
economic potential
• Windows for community groups
• Utility can procure hardware for productive rural end use,
eg. grinding mills, welding machines, oil presses…
• Utility can provide financing for the equipment or end
user can make own arrangements. This facility has just
started to be implemented
Electrification and the poor:
Zimbabwe
90%
79%
% of hous e holds
80%
70%
57%
60%
49%
50%
40%
40%
26%25%
30%
20%
10%
30%30%
23%
20%
14%
7%
0%
Grid
Income Levels
Solar
Low
Batt
Medium
Non-Elec
High
• High income
households dominate
the grid and solar
electrified categories.
Poor unable to
satisfy project
screening criteria
• Poor households
show the opposite
trend, being mostly
unelectrified
Main cooking energy source
Main Cooking Energy Sources in Rural Zim
% of households
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Grid
Grid-Elec
Solar
Wood
Batt
Non-Elec
Paraffin
• Grid-electrified
rural households
generally use
electricity for
cooking
• The nonelectrified
(poorer)
households use
wood for cooking
Fuels used by grid-electrified rural
households in SA (Limpopo)
•
•
Grid electricity
is used
predominantly
for lighting,
radio and TV
Thermal needs
are still met
with wood
Other fuels
insignificant
Lighting Cooking Water ht Space ht Spc cool TV Radio Geyser
% of grid electrified households
•
100%
96%
80%
69%
60%
78%
71%
60%
33%
40%
20%
22%
16%
7%
7%
2% 2%
2%
0%
Grid
Wood
Paraffin
Fuel currently used by grid-elect households
Candles
Rural electrification approaches in
South Africa and Zimbabwe
South Africa grid
Zimbabwe grid
• Includes households
• Govt subsidy for h/holds
• Plans not easily available
• Comparative less focus on
productive end uses
• Focus on rural centres and
institutions
• 6% levy on tariff for rural elect
• Plans, criteria published
• Specific measures to support
productive end uses
South Africa off-grid
Zimbabwe off-grid
• Predominantly fee for service
in concession areas
• Also sales
• Predominantly sales outside
any projects
• Also fee for service & donation
Main lighting fuel: Zimbabwe rural
households
Poorer rural
households
depend on
paraffin for
lighting
Grid and solar
electrified
households
use electric
lighting
100%
% of households
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Grid
Grid-Elec
Solar
PV
Paraffin
Batt
Candle
Non-Elec
Battery
•
•
•
Wood meets
thermal needs
Paraffin and
candles used
for lighting
Batteries used
for radio and
TV (car batteries
due to higher power)
% of non-electrified households
What do S African rural households
with no grid/SHS power use?
100%
99%
96%
Lighting Cooking Water ht Space ht TV Radio
80%
63%
60%
51%
50%
40%
34%
33%
29%
20%
2%
1% 1% 1%
Paraffin
Gas
Candles
Fuels used by non-electrified households
0%
Wood
Car batt
Dry-cell batteries
•
•
•
Preference for
grid electricity
very pronounced
for the common
needs
Few poor
households have
TV or fridge
Space heating
not very
important in
warm climate
% of non-electrified households
What household energy source do the
S African rural poor prefer to switch to?
100%
Lighting
Cooking
Water ht
Space ht
TV Radio
Fridge
Iron
81%
78%
80%
76%
68%
73%
60%
37%
40%
27%
20%
3%
1%
1%
0%
Solar
Grid
Dry-cell batteries
Fuels preferred by non-electrified households
Environmental benefits of SHSs – the
other side of the coin
• How many solar systems installed compared to the
investment in the project? Could other options not have
provided a more long-term and reliable access for less or
similar investment?
• What percentage of households has managed to switch
completely from using candles and paraffin for lighting? What
are the candle or paraffin consumption levels of those who
have switched partially? Many promotional environmental
calculations is to use full–switch assumptions.
• What is the average downtime of the solar systems?
Whenever the systems are not working the users revert to
their paraffin lamps or candles
• For those systems working, what percentage is working fully
and partially?
• Lead and Mercury hazards: How are old batteries and light
tubes disposed of? Recycling provisions?
Long term experiences with solar
home systems
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The power capacity of solar home systems renders them unable to
contribute significantly to most productive activities
Maintenance often becomes the major challenge after end of projects –
localised maintenance capacity essential
Clustering of installations will facilitate maintenance & fee collection
Need for capacity building for local manufacturers - local components may
be less reliable
Use local components as far as possible (especially balance of system) –
long term availability of imported components may not be guaranteed
Shortage of correct components will lead to substitution with any available
equivalents eg. car batteries and incandescent lights – solar home system
severely compromised
Flexibility is needed since rural population is heterogeneous - one size fits
all approach in fee for service projects led to client frustration
Have clear contracts - revision of fees in fee for service projects problematic
Thank you for your attention!