Energy infrastructure transition in urban informal households in South Africa

[摘要] South Africa possesses an abundance of solar energy resources that can be used to provide various energy services. The multiple fuel use model is evident in urban informal households and the fuel types and energy carriers that are most commonly used by these households are electricity, paraffin, gas, and firewood, which causes environmental destruction, morbidity, and adverse socio-economic conditions, and stifle economic development. The financial expenditure on fuel and energy carriers is exorbitant, because the majority of people that live in informal households have low paying jobs or are unemployed. The study aims to enhance our understanding of the transformation of the energy infrastructure that urban informal households use for various energy services. The objectives of this study were to identify the fuel types and energy carriers that urban informal households commonly used for lighting, cooking, space heating, water heating and operating household appliances as well as to identify the roles of stakeholders that might increase the uptake of distributed renewable energy technology on a local level by urban informal households. This research provides consumption patterns that inform potential energy infrastructure transitions. The findings suggest that electricity, paraffin, wood fuel and gas are most commonly used for energy services in urban informal households. There is an awareness amongst most stakeholders about the benefits of distributed renewable energy technologies but the deployment and education campaigns around these technologies are disjointed. The regional innovative system approach to socio-technical transition could be used to deploy distributed renewable energy technologies to urban informal households in South Africa.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University