Deichmann, UweMeisner, CraigMurray, SiobhanWheeler, David2014-09-022014-09-022010-01https://hdl.handle.net/10986/19902Accelerating development in Sub-Saharan Africa will require massive expansion of access to electricity -- currently reaching only about one-third of households. This paper explores how essential economic development might be reconciled with the need to keep carbon emissions in check. The authors develop a geographically explicit framework and use spatial modeling and cost estimates from recent engineering studies to determine where stand-alone renewable energy generation is a cost effective alternative to centralized grid supply. The results suggest that decentralized renewable energy will likely play an important role in expanding rural energy access. But it will be the lowest cost option for a minority of households in Africa, even when likely cost reductions over the next 20 years are considered. Decentralized renewables are competitive mostly in remote and rural areas, while grid connected supply dominates denser areas where the majority of households reside. These findings underscore the need to de-carbonize the fuel mix for centralized power generation as it expands in Africa.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOABATEMENT COSTSACCESS TO ELECTRICITYAGGREGATE DEMANDAIRALTITUDEANNUAL WIND SPEEDAPPROACHBATTERIESBIO-DIESELBIOMASSBIOMASS FUELSBULK SUPPLYCALCULATIONCALCULATION PROCEDURECAPACITY FACTORCARBONCARBON CREDITSCARBON EMISSIONSCARBON ENERGYCARBON INTENSITYCARBON MITIGATIONCARBON PRICINGCARBON TAXCARBON TAXESCLEAN DEVELOPMENTCLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISMCLEAN ENERGYCLEAN ENERGY SUPPLYCLEAN TECHNOLOGYCLEANER ENERGYCLIMATECLIMATE CHANGECLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONSCLIMATE POLICYCO2COMBUSTIONCOMBUSTION TURBINECOMPETITIVE POWERCONNECTED HOUSEHOLDSCONVENTIONAL DIESELCONVENTIONAL DIESEL FUELCONVERSION EFFICIENCYCRUDE OILDEMAND FOR ELECTRICITYDIESELDIESEL FUEL PRICESDIESEL GENERATIONDIESEL GENERATORDIESEL GENERATORSDIESEL OILDIESEL POWERDISTRIBUTION GRIDDOMESTIC CARBONDOMESTIC ENERGYDRIVINGECONOMIES OF SCALEELASTICITYELECTRIC POWERELECTRIC POWER PLANTSELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMSELECTRICAL POWERELECTRICITY CONSUMPTIONELECTRICITY DEMANDELECTRICITY GENERATIONELECTRICITY PRICESELECTRICITY PRODUCTIONELECTRICITY SUPPLYELECTRIFICATIONEMISSIONS ALLOWANCESEMISSIONS CONTROLEMISSIONS REDUCTIONENERGY ACCESSENERGY CONSUMPTIONENERGY COSTSENERGY OUTPUTENERGY PLANNERSENERGY POLICYENERGY PRICESENERGY PRODUCTIONENERGY PRODUCTION CAPACITYENERGY RESOURCEENERGY RESOURCESENERGY SECTORENERGY SERVICESENERGY SOURCEENERGY SOURCESENERGY SUPPLIESENERGY USEENERGY UTILIZATIONFIXED COSTSFOSSILFOSSIL ENERGYFOSSIL FUELFOSSIL FUELSFUELFUEL COSTFUEL COSTSFUEL MIXFUEL PRICESFUEL SOURCEFUEL TRANSPORTFUEL TRANSPORT COSTSGENERATION CAPACITYGEOTHERMAL ENERGYGEOTHERMAL POWERGHGGHGSGLOBAL CARBON TAXGLOBAL GREENHOUSE GASGLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONSGLOBAL WARMINGGREENHOUSEGRID CONNECTIONSGRID DISTRIBUTIONGRID ELECTRIFICATIONGRID EXPANSIONGRID SERVICEGRID SUPPLYGRID SYSTEMGRID TECHNOLOGIESHEATHEAT RATEHEATINGINFRASTRUCTURE COSTSIPCCLAKESLAND USELARGE POWER PLANTSLEVELS OF EMISSIONSLOW-CARBONNATIONAL GRIDNATURAL GASO&MOIL PRICEOIL PRICESPHOTOVOLTAIC POWERPOPULATION DENSITIESPOPULATION GROWTHPORT OF ENTRYPOWERPOWER AVAILABILITYPOWER CONSUMPTIONPOWER CURVEPOWER DISTRIBUTIONPOWER GENERATIONPOWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGIESPOWER GENERATORPOWER GRIDPOWER GRIDSPOWER MARKETSPOWER PLANTPOWER PLANTSPOWER PRODUCERSPOWER PRODUCTIONPOWER RATINGPOWER SECTORPOWER SOURCESPOWER STATIONSPOWER SUPPLYPOWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEMPRICE OF DIESELPROVISION OF POWERQUANTITY OF ELECTRICITYRENEWABLE ELECTRICITYRENEWABLE ENERGYRENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITYRENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATIONRENEWABLE ENERGY POTENTIALRENEWABLE ENERGY RELATIVERENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCESRENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCESRENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMSRENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIESRENEWABLE POWERRENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIESROADSROUTERURAL ELECTRIFICATIONRURAL ENERGYRURAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENTSANDSILICONSOLAR ENERGYSOLAR ENERGY POTENTIALSOLAR ENERGY RESOURCESSOLAR HOME SYSTEMSOLAR INSOLATIONSOLAR POWERSOLAR RADIATIONSOLAR RESOURCESOLAR SYSTEMSOLAR SYSTEMSSOLAR THERMALSUPPLY COSTSTEMPERATURETHERMAL POWERTRANSMISSION GRIDTRANSMISSION LINETRANSMISSION LINESTRANSMISSION SYSTEMTRANSPORTTRANSPORT DISTANCETRANSPORT PRICETRANSPORTATIONTRANSPORTATION COSTSTURBULENCEUTILITIESVOLTAGEWINDWIND DATAWIND ENERGYWIND ENERGY POTENTIALWIND POTENTIALWIND POWERWIND POWER GENERATIONWIND POWER POTENTIALWIND RESOURCEWIND RESOURCE POTENTIALWIND RESOURCESWIND SHEARWIND SPEEDWIND SPEEDSWIND SYSTEMWIND SYSTEMSWIND TURBINEWIND TURBINES10.1596/1813-9450-5193