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Graham Ault and Laura Nicolson-Community energy based approaches to environmental sustainability
1. Community Energy-based approach
to Environmental Sustainability in
Malawi
Graham Ault – University of Strathclyde
Laura Nicolson - Training and Operations Development
Officer, Community Energy Scotland
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2. Context
• Energy underpins several Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• Real need for sustainable energy solutions in developing countries
• More than half a billion of Africa’s rural poor rely of fuel-wood for cooking and
kerosene lamps for lighting
• Off-grid energy development ‘short-cuts’ grid extension
• Need for demonstrated ‘sustainable models’ for off-grid energy development to
address poor record of success in off-grid power
• Recent Scottish Government study identifies challenges and potential in Malawi
3. Background: Malawi electrical power supply
• Inadequacy of central generation installations
• Grid extension requirements
• Rural electrification pace and investment requirement
4. Challenges to sustainability
for energy provision in rural
Malawi
• Major challenge of grid based rural electrification
• Technology that does not meet local energy requirements
• Issues with finance, knowledge, support networks and governance/accountability
• Lack of consideration of whole lifecycle of installations
• Under-estimation of initial and ongoing training and support requirements
• Failure to understand the commercial/financial capacity of locals
5. Scottish Government Community
Energy Scoping Study
• Engagement with Malawian energy
sector stakeholders:
MDPC, MNREE, DoEA, DoEnvAff, MERA,
OIBM, Concern Universal, UNDP,
MuREA, Mzuzu University, Solar Aid,
LCD, MCA-Malawi
• Study conclusions:
Drivers pushing energy higher up agenda in Malawi: fuel costs, climate
change agenda, role of electricity in economic development
Primary aim of outworking of the policies, strategies and investment
plans is development of grid generation and extension of the grid
Biomass missing from policies and investment plans when it accounts
for 97% of energy use in Malawi
Institutional framework for energy development is sound but resource
constrained (e.g. capacity, people, finance, lack of coordination)
6. Study conclusions cntd.
• Community energy development trials
underway with various technologies and
approaches but in disparate and
uncoordinated manner
• Lack of coordination in NGO energy
development activities
• Climate change policy and renewable
energy policy not complete and Malawi not
exploiting opportunity of international
frameworks (e.g. GEF, CDM, etc.)
• Current situation not providing conducive
framework for donor or private investment
in energy
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7. Community Energy case studies
• Biomass and Solar:
– Concern Univeral – Balaka Project
– Sustainable forestry and efficient cook
stoves
• Micro hydro:
– MuREA – Bondo 1 (75kW), Mulanje
– Community owned and managed
• Solar photovoltaic (community):
– Chikwawa district – CRED project
• Solar photovoltaic (domestic):
– Solar Aid – northern region (and
Balaka)
• Biomass / biogas:
– Mzuzu university trials
– 11 installations based on waste
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8. Scoping Study Recommendations
• Support for energy in Malawi should fit in with Malawian government
plans and priorities
• Interventions should be based on and/or facilitate cross-departmental and
multi-stakeholder working within Malawi
• Addressing biomass burning has clear potential to bring about the highest
impact and the most pro-poor outcomes
• External support should not be given for ‘one-off investments’ that have a
primary focus on simply deploying renewable technologies
• Community energy developments must be:
– community driven
– ‘commercially’ based – grant and loan funded
– certified in line with MERA requirements
– supported through appropriate mechanisms
– other criteria might include: national M&E participation, income generation,
equitable participation and benefit
• Development and trial activities should be led by Malawian organisations
9. Community Development in
Malawi
Community Structures
Village structures
{Traditional Authorities}
District Committee
{Subject based working groups}
Government
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10. Community Energy Support Model
Scotland
Primary
Secondary
Network
Lobbying
Policy Influence
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11. Community Energy Support Model
Scotland
Primary
Secondary
Network
Lobbying
Policy Influence
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12. Community Energy Support Model
Scotland
Primary
Secondary
Network
Lobbying
Policy Influence
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13. Community Energy Support Model
Scotland
Primary
Secondary
Network
Lobbying
Policy Influence
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14. Community Energy Support Model
Malawi
Scottish Government scoping study
Recommendations
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15. Community Energy Support Model
Malawi
Community Energy Projects
Database of community-scale energy
project in Malawi
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16. Community Energy Support Model
Malawi
Knowledge transfer
Toolkits / Media
Visits
Conferences
Local officers
Appropriate delivery methods?
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17. Community Energy Support Model
Malawi
Building support networks
A Community Energy
Network in Malawi
Community Energy
Malawi?
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18. Conclusions
• Serious challenges faced for sustainable energy
development
• Partnerships built for productive Scotland-Malawi
programmes
• Community support mechanisms required
• Opportunity to accelerate the development of
community energy
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