Productive uses of electricity at the energy-health nexus: Financial, technical and social insights from a containerized power system in Rwanda

Q1 Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Development Engineering Pub Date : 2022-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.deveng.2022.100101

Samuel B. Miles , Jessica Kersey , Emiliano Cecchini , Daniel M. Kammen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

We present a case study of successful uptake of a productive use of electricity (PUE) co-located at an off-grid clinic powered by OffGridBox in Rwanda. We develop a techno-economic analysis of the standardized, modular, and redeployable power supply technology, characterizing cost components, revenue considerations, and key challenges. We present a technical characterization of system utilization based on remote monitoring of electricity consumption, power reliability, and power quality at a PUE intervention site, estimating system reliability at 81% over the study period. Lastly, we characterize socio-economic costs and benefits from the productive user's perspective drawing on mixed-method interviews. We find that relatively low amounts of electricity consumption (10–30 kWh per month) command a high revealed willingness to pay (∼$3 per kWh) for the solar-powered displacement of diesel-based welding, significantly improving the unit economics of the deployed system. This analysis and data provides a resource model for the standardization of mini-grid hardware, performance and cost frameworks, and metrics to assess off-grid, under-grid and ultimately grid interactive distributed generation systems. These models are urgently needed to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal SDG 7 commitment to achieve universal energy access by 2030.

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能源-健康关系中电力的生产性利用:卢旺达集装箱电力系统的财务、技术和社会见解

我们提出了一个案例研究，成功地采用了生产利用电力(PUE)在一个离网诊所在卢旺达由OffGridBox供电。我们对标准化、模块化和可重新部署的电源技术进行了技术经济分析，描述了成本组成、收入考虑和主要挑战。基于对PUE干预站点的电力消耗、电力可靠性和电力质量的远程监测，我们提出了系统利用率的技术表征，估计在研究期间系统可靠性为81%。最后，我们从生产用户的角度描述社会经济成本和效益，利用混合方法访谈。我们发现，相对较低的用电量(每月10-30千瓦时)使得人们愿意为太阳能取代柴油焊接支付很高的费用(每千瓦时约3美元)，显著提高了部署系统的单位经济性。这些分析和数据为微型电网硬件、性能和成本框架的标准化提供了资源模型，并为评估离网、下网和最终并网的交互式分布式发电系统提供了指标。我们迫切需要这些模式来实现联合国可持续发展目标7的承诺，即到2030年实现普遍获得能源。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Development Engineering Economics, Econometrics and Finance-Economics, Econometrics and Finance (all)

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

31 weeks

期刊介绍： Development Engineering: The Journal of Engineering in Economic Development (Dev Eng) is an open access, interdisciplinary journal applying engineering and economic research to the problems of poverty. Published studies must present novel research motivated by a specific global development problem. The journal serves as a bridge between engineers, economists, and other scientists involved in research on human, social, and economic development. Specific topics include: • Engineering research in response to unique constraints imposed by poverty. • Assessment of pro-poor technology solutions, including field performance, consumer adoption, and end-user impacts. • Novel technologies or tools for measuring behavioral, economic, and social outcomes in low-resource settings. • Hypothesis-generating research that explores technology markets and the role of innovation in economic development. • Lessons from the field, especially null results from field trials and technical failure analyses. • Rigorous analysis of existing development "solutions" through an engineering or economic lens. Although the journal focuses on quantitative, scientific approaches, it is intended to be suitable for a wider audience of development practitioners and policy makers, with evidence that can be used to improve decision-making. It also will be useful for engineering and applied economics faculty who conduct research or teach in "technology for development."