Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village
As it emerges from the literature, electricity access in rural contexts is deeply intertwined with socioeconomic dynamics. However, the advent of a reliable and sufficient source of electricity is not the sole driver that might contribute to local development. Indeed, complementary activities might...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/5/1902 |
| _version_ | 1797475136074416128 |
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| author | Francesco Tonini Francesco Davide Sanvito Fabrizio Colombelli Emanuela Colombo |
| author_facet | Francesco Tonini Francesco Davide Sanvito Fabrizio Colombelli Emanuela Colombo |
| author_sort | Francesco Tonini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As it emerges from the literature, electricity access in rural contexts is deeply intertwined with socioeconomic dynamics. However, the advent of a reliable and sufficient source of electricity is not the sole driver that might contribute to local development. Indeed, complementary activities might have a crucial role in sustaining the development of rural communities as well as the electricity access. The current research addresses the lack of counterfactual scenarios in which the impact of complementary activities on electrification projects can be investigated. The authors introduce the case study of Matembwe village, a rural community in the Njombe region of Tanzania. The data collection includes the electricity consumption, number of electricity connections, and number of income-generating activities in a timespan ranging from 1989 to 2015. The analysis is based on system dynamics. The study considers different scenarios representing the dynamics related to the following complementary actions: access to market measures, access to credit measures, and access to usable skills. On the one hand, the study reveals that the effectiveness of the considered complementary actions is limited except from the access to microcredit which fosters an increase in electricity connections by 17%. On the other hand, both access to microcredit and the starting up of a local cooperative by CEFA Onlus that reinvests its profits in the local market impact the socio-economic dimension by 69% and 22%, respectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:40:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6eaf83342fe14ec5a9eeec67cfcbbce2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:40:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-6eaf83342fe14ec5a9eeec67cfcbbce22023-11-23T22:59:09ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732022-03-01155190210.3390/en15051902Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe VillageFrancesco Tonini0Francesco Davide Sanvito1Fabrizio Colombelli2Emanuela Colombo3Energy Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, 21056 Milan, ItalyEnergy Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, 21056 Milan, ItalyCEFA Onlus Via Lame, 118, 40122 Bologna, ItalyEnergy Department, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, 21056 Milan, ItalyAs it emerges from the literature, electricity access in rural contexts is deeply intertwined with socioeconomic dynamics. However, the advent of a reliable and sufficient source of electricity is not the sole driver that might contribute to local development. Indeed, complementary activities might have a crucial role in sustaining the development of rural communities as well as the electricity access. The current research addresses the lack of counterfactual scenarios in which the impact of complementary activities on electrification projects can be investigated. The authors introduce the case study of Matembwe village, a rural community in the Njombe region of Tanzania. The data collection includes the electricity consumption, number of electricity connections, and number of income-generating activities in a timespan ranging from 1989 to 2015. The analysis is based on system dynamics. The study considers different scenarios representing the dynamics related to the following complementary actions: access to market measures, access to credit measures, and access to usable skills. On the one hand, the study reveals that the effectiveness of the considered complementary actions is limited except from the access to microcredit which fosters an increase in electricity connections by 17%. On the other hand, both access to microcredit and the starting up of a local cooperative by CEFA Onlus that reinvests its profits in the local market impact the socio-economic dimension by 69% and 22%, respectively.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/5/1902rural electrificationelectricity–development nexuspolicy and regulationSustainable Development Goals (SDG)system dynamicsTanzania |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Tonini Francesco Davide Sanvito Fabrizio Colombelli Emanuela Colombo Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village Energies rural electrification electricity–development nexus policy and regulation Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) system dynamics Tanzania |
| title | Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village |
| title_full | Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village |
| title_fullStr | Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village |
| title_short | Improving Sustainable Access to Electricity in Rural Tanzania: A System Dynamics Approach to the Matembwe Village |
| title_sort | improving sustainable access to electricity in rural tanzania a system dynamics approach to the matembwe village |
| topic | rural electrification electricity–development nexus policy and regulation Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) system dynamics Tanzania |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/5/1902 |
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