Friend or foe? Diesel generators and the global energy transition

This paper examines the factors driving the persistent success of diesel generators within the global political economy of electricity. Despite supplying the largest share of electricity in at least seventeen countries, diesel generators remain under-explored in academic literature. We review existing studies on their deployment across low-, middle- and high-income countries, integrating ethnographic data from our research on Lebanon’s fossil fuel and solar energy sectors alongside insights from Science and Technology Studies (STS). We advance three core claims. First, diesel generators are a highly adaptable, long-standing technology whose relevance has grown amid geopolitical instability and environmental crises. Second, while decentralised renewable energy solutions such as microgrids are often seen as pathways to bypass conventional grids and decarbonise energy systems, their reliance on diesel backup underscores the persistent role of fossil fuels in energy transitions. Third, diesel generators sustain modern life beyond dysfunctional centralised grids, exposing the failure of neoliberal development models to ensure universal electricity access in low- and middle-income countries. Our findings highlight the interdependence between micro-solar infrastructures, the role of diesel generators in the ‘net zero’ transition, and emerging debates on ‘post-grid imaginaries’.