How to Achieve Optimal Delivery of Energy Services for Informal Settlements? a Methodology
Abstract
The energy situation in informal settlements of Sub-Sahara Africa is often poor. The electricity sector is commonly characterized by unreliable, unaffordable, illegal, or dangerous supply. Energy for cooking and lighting is predominantly based on fossil fuels. One solution to improve the energy supply in informal settlements is the implementation of an Energy Hub. This system can support both individuals and local businesses by providing energy related services. Energy Hubs can offer a variety of different services. Since the structures in the respective informal settlements differ, the services offered should be oriented and selected individually according to the local needs and livelihood of the population. To obtain a properly dimensioned concept tailored to the respective use case, potential services should be classified and evaluated in advance. In this work, a methodology is being developed to find and prioritise driving factors (parameters) that can classify and evaluate the energy services for the use in an Energy Hub. Based on literature and on-site research, eight parameters were identified and prioritised with the help of an expert survey. A clear ranking of the eight parameters was established with the technical and economical parameters scoring high. A graphical comparison of services based on the parameters concludes the work.
Keywords
Energy services, Energy hub, Informal settlements, Sub sahara africa, Likert scala, Evaluation parameters