Lessons learned from rural electrification initiatives in developing countries: Insights for technical, social, financial and public policy aspects

• Published in: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews Vol. 102; pp. 35 - 53
• Main Authors: Almeshqab, Fatema, Ustun, Taha Selim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2019
• Subjects: Business models for Rural electrification; Distributed Generation; First Access Systems; Innovative Solutions for Energy; Leap-frogging in Power Systems; Microgrids; Policy making for Sustainable Energy; Renewable Energy based Electrification; Rural Electrification; Social Sciences for Sustainability; Underserved Communities; Rural Electrification; Renewable Energy based Electrification; Policy making for Sustainable Energy; Distributed Generation; Innovative Solutions for Energy; Underserved Communities; Microgrids; First Access Systems; Social Sciences for Sustainability; Business models for Rural electrification; Leap-frogging in Power Systems
• ISSN: 1364-0321; 1879-0690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2018.11.035

1.1 billion of the world's population still does not have access to electricity in the 21st century. Most of that population resides in the rural communities in developing countries in South Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Access to electricity can eliminate existing problems related to health, education, social life, economy and the environment, and can increase the income of underserved communities. Most of the yet to be energized regions are in remote, isolated areas, that cannot be serviced through the central grid. While decentralized diesel generators can potentially be installed in these areas, they have a poor effect on climate change mitigation. Clean renewable energy alternatives for off-grid systems are being deployed to reduce the non-electrification rate in the world, and The United Nation Foundation's 2030 Agenda has the objective of universal access to electricity by 2030. While there has been some progress towards that goal, the challenges are countless. If no changes in models, policies and practices are made, the universal access objective will not be achieved, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa that has a level of electrification projection of 30% by 2030. To determine the necessary changes, this paper reviews the rural electrification initiatives in eight developing countries, from Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa to Latin America, and aims to provide an assessment of their success and to discuss the lessons that can be learned and applied on future initiatives. •Different approaches to first-access systems have been studied.•The role of policy-making and its impact on project success is highlighted with real examples.•Experiences of different countries and different regions have been compared.•Lessons learned from these experiences are shared and keys parameters for more effective project development have been shared.•The research direction of this field and possible future work are documented.