Integrating energy into humanitarian response and the diffusion of solar home systems in Rwandan refugee camps

Abstract

Despite it now being widely recognised that access to energy can have a positive impact on people’s lives, there are still approximately 68.5 million displaced people worldwide whose energy needs are currently unmet. This thesis aims to address this failure by investigating the provision of energy in humanitarian response and by evaluating the diffusion of solar home systems (SHS) supplied via market-based delivery models in three refugee camps in Rwanda. The thesis comprises of three standalone journal articles that investigate interrelated issues and a cover report that links the three papers together. The first article explores the provision of energy in humanitarian response to date and confirms that energy is too often overlooked or inadequately prioritised in humanitarian contexts. The analysis also demonstrates that the exclusion of energy from existing coordination mechanisms does not mean that action cannot be taken and recommendations are made regarding ways energy can be better embedded into existing response mechanisms. The second article provides an overview of the existing energy situation in Kigeme, Nyabiheke and Gihembe refugee camps and evaluates the potential of SHS against political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) factors. The results demonstrate that access to electricity in the camps is limited but that there is demand for modern energy services. The PESTLE analysis goes on to identify six key factors required to ensure the maximum diffusion and sustainability of SHS interventions. The third article investigates the implementation of SHS in the same camps and assesses the interaction between the systems provided and the adopting community. The results demonstrate a high level of compatibility with needs and a clear advantage over existing energy technologies. However, affordability remains a major challenge and dissatisfaction with the performance of systems, after sales service and maintenance have also been identified as challenges that need to be addressed. Overall, the findings show that more coordinated response on energy issues can be achieved within existing response frameworks and that, despite some challenges, primarily related to affordability, SHS are a promising energy access technology in refugee camp contexts. The recommendations made can be used to inform future policy and practice on humanitarian energy initiatives and will help to ensure the global community achieves the targets set out in policy initiatives.

Date of Award	27 Sept 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Paul W Harper (Supervisor) & Sam Williamson (Supervisor)