We connect science and decision-making to develop solutions for a sustainable future for all. Our... more We connect science and decision-making to develop solutions for a sustainable future for all. Our approach is highly collaborative: stakeholder involvement is at the heart of our efforts to build capacity, strengthen institutions, and equip partners for the long term. Our work spans climate, water, air, and land-use issues, and integrates evidence and perspectives on governance, the economy, gender and human health. Across our eight centres in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, we engage with policy processes, development action and business practice throughout the world.
Integrating user experiences into mini-grid business model design in rural Tanzania
Energy for Sustainable Development, Jun 1, 2021
Abstract Renewable energy mini-grids can have significant impacts on livelihoods and improved bus... more Abstract Renewable energy mini-grids can have significant impacts on livelihoods and improved business performance and productivity in rural parts of Africa, particularly where electricity grid extension is technically or financially unviable. However, designing mini-grid business models that balance affordable service provision with acceptable cost recovery remains a challenge. Research on how to design effective business models points to the need for a more service-oriented approach, in which user needs and experiences are more clearly reflected in mini-grid business model design. In this paper, we explore how mini-grid business models might be designed so they are more responsive to user needs and maximise positive user experiences. Our study focuses on the case of a privately developed 6 kW solar PV mini-grid in northwestern Tanzania, commissioned in late 2018. We employ user journey mapping – a method drawn from service design – to better understand users' needs, expectations and experiences associated with adopting and using electricity services from the mini-grid, and behavioural and socio-cultural aspects of transition from traditional to modern energy services. We find that catering for household and business users requires more than a single value proposition from mini-grid developer. Moreover, expectation management is crucial to avoid disappointment and dissatisfaction amongst all groups of users after the mini-grid is up and running. Lastly, continuous engagement to improve the user experience after connection could mitigate the risk of service disuse or ‘energy stacking’. These findings are of relevance to policymakers and practitioners seeking to support scaling up of mini-grids in rural Africa as part of efforts to reach universal energy access.
Stakeholder-guided, model-based scenarios for a climate- and water-smart electricity transition in Ghana and Burkina Faso
Energy Strategy Reviews
Improving Kenya’s coffee value chain and sector reforms through Sustainable Consumption and Production Practices integration
Coffee is an essential player in Kenya’s agricultural sector, yet it has suffered a steady declin... more Coffee is an essential player in Kenya’s agricultural sector, yet it has suffered a steady decline in production in the past 40 years. Addressing the sector’s challenges can also advance the UN 2030 Agenda’s 12th Sustainable Development Goal, which is to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns,” by incorporating Sustainable Consumption and Production Practices (SCPs) in the coffee value chain. This policy brief explores the potential integration of SCPs across the coffee production chain. We present SCPs that emerged from a series of focus group discussions, stakeholder consultations and surveys, which will minimize environmental impacts and maximize productivity and worker welfare. We also summarize capacity-building measures and financial support required to implement the SCPs at scale. Adopting the recommended solutions can both boost Kenya’s coffee industry and put the sector on a path toward greater environmental sustainability.
Transforming Kenya’s dairy sub-sector through the adoption of sustainable consumption and production practices
Dairy in Kenya is facing several challenges, which is hampering the agricultural sector’s growth ... more Dairy in Kenya is facing several challenges, which is hampering the agricultural sector’s growth and affecting the lives of 40% of the population (USAID, 2021). To address the challenges and fulfil Kenya’s 2030 visions for the sector (Economic & Macro Pillar | Kenya Vision 2030, n.d.), integrating sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices along the value chain could decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, promote more efficient utilization of resources, and foster sustainable lifestyles. This is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 12 as part of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda. This policy brief examines how various applications of SCP practices along the dairy production chain could increase productivity while promoting economic growth. The study outlines several policy recommendations such as providing extension services at the local level.
Stakeholder-Guided, Model-Based Scenarios for a Climate- and Water-Smart Electricity Transition in West Africa
SSRN Electronic Journal
Nordic Green to Scale for countries: Unlocking the potential of climate solutions in Kenya and Ethiopia
Extending grid electricity to remote rural communities is expensive and has low demand density [1... more Extending grid electricity to remote rural communities is expensive and has low demand density [1–2], leading to slow rates of rural grid electrification. Off-grid solutions – mini-grid, standalone, and distributed systems – are hence favoured for these regions. Mini-grids are community-scale electrical distribution networks, operating autonomously from the grid. They can provide low-cost electricity far from the grid. Even so, due to the high infrastructural and equipment cost, the set tariffs are often several times higher than grid electricity tariffs, raising questions of fairness and justice in electricity access.
Uganda has ambitions to become a middle‐income country by 2040. Achieving this goal would require... more Uganda has ambitions to become a middle‐income country by 2040. Achieving this goal would require an economic transformation that is led and aided by industrialization. Economic transformation and industrialization also require efficient utilization of energy, including electricity. The cost of electricity in Uganda is not cheap; thus, there is an incentive for industries and policymakers to invest in energy efficiency measures. The fact that energy efficiency could contribute to climate and other social policy objectives is also an added advantage. Since the mid‐2000s, following a power crisis, the Government of Uganda has taken several initiatives to promote energy efficiency within the industrial sector. However, although targeted interventions delivered demonstrable gains, efforts to institutionalize industrial energy efficiency remains a challenge. In this article, we use institutional theory and the political economy approach to explore why institutionalization has been diffic...
A comparative analysis of bioeconomy visions and pathways based on stakeholder dialogues in Colombia, Rwanda, Sweden, and Thailand
Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 2022
This article introduces a design approach integrating early design phase and model based engineer... more This article introduces a design approach integrating early design phase and model based engineering in order to develop innovative biomass gasifier system for rural communities in Africa. The need for such a systemic perspective is imposed by the imbrication of technical, ecological and cultural issues that cannot be ignored while designing new technology. The article proposes an integrated generic design theory approaches to discover and rank by order of importance systemâs variables and to single out most desired design parameters. A pre-design user requirement assessment was carried out to identify detailed stoveâs functions. Causal-ordering diagrams sketched for systemâs modelling. System functions were described graphically and synthesized through simple linear algebraic matrices. Contradictions in system functions were solved using Theory of Inventive Thinking (TRIZ 40). And systemâs optimization was done through simple Taguchi experimentation method. A two level L8 d...
1 For more in-depth discussion around the insights presented here, please see the project report ... more 1 For more in-depth discussion around the insights presented here, please see the project report at: 2 The data and assumptions used in this scenario modelling can be found at: https://www.sei.org/publications/rwandanexus-scenarios-tech-note/ Through its Vision 2020, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategies, National Strategy for Transformation and Prosperity, and Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, Rwanda has set out clear intentions to ensure sustainable development through two key avenues: sustainable land-use and natural resources management to enhance food security and preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services and achieving energy security and low carbon energy supply, while avoiding deforestation. This policy brief highlights some of the hotspots where resource use competition between sectors might flare up as resources become increasingly scarce in the future.
We connect science and decision-making to develop solutions for a sustainable future for all. Our... more We connect science and decision-making to develop solutions for a sustainable future for all. Our approach is highly collaborative: stakeholder involvement is at the heart of our efforts to build capacity, strengthen institutions, and equip partners for the long term. Our work spans climate, water, air, and land-use issues, and integrates evidence and perspectives on governance, the economy, gender and human health. Across our eight centres in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, we engage with policy processes, development action and business practice throughout the world. Introduction .
We connect science and decision-making to develop solutions for a sustainable future for all. Our... more We connect science and decision-making to develop solutions for a sustainable future for all. Our approach is highly collaborative: stakeholder involvement is at the heart of our efforts to build capacity, strengthen institutions, and equip partners for the long term. Our work spans climate, water, air, and land-use issues, and integrates evidence and perspectives on governance, the economy, gender and human health. Across our eight centres in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, we engage with policy processes, development action and business practice throughout the world.
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Papers by Mbeo Ogeya