Semonkong is located in the highlands surrounding the capital of Lesotho, Maseru. The community comprises of just over 8,000 people, and Semonkong itself is one of the coldest places in Lesotho with frequent heavy snowfall, and hence electricity access is a priority for the community to replace traditional, unsustainable sources of heating energy. The Semonkong […]
Category: Blog
Ha-Makebe Community Solar Mini-Grid in Lesotho
The Ha-Makebe community solar mini-grid was initially installed in October 2018 by OnePower Lesotho, with financing support from the Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP). The project is located on the outskirts of the Berea district, north-east of the capital, Maseru. Ha-Makebe is the first privately-owned Independent Power Producer (IPP) in Lesotho, and supplies electricity to […]
Motete Solar Mini-Grid Project in Lesotho
The Motete mini-grid project is in the district of Butha-Butha, in the remote Northern region of Lesotho. The project is being implemented through the Smart Villages Research Group, MOSCET (a local off-grid energy company), the National University of Lesotho and Gram Oorja, the Indian technical lead for the project. The aims of the project are […]
Yebu Solar Community Mini-Grid in Nigeria
How democratic are the decision-making processes in decentralized electricity markets? Our Nigerian project team decided to investigate these processes in Yebu, a community in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, close to Abuja. Yebu is a community of roughly 80,000 inhabitants, with a predominantly primary industry focused economy, with sand mining, logging and agriculture being […]
Energy from Community Roots in Sub-Saharan Africa
Dr Jon Cloke writes on the decentralization argument for energy access, implementation challenges, and justice in energy transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa The global energy crisis between 2019-2021 has worsened energy access in Africa – it has been estimated that the population of SSA without electricity will increase by 11% to 2030 (Butu et al, 2021). […]
Mpanta Solar PV Project in Zambia
In our latest blog, Nandi Mbazima writes on the Mpanta solar mini-grid project in Zambia. As the first community-based renewable mini-grid developed in Zambia, the Mpanta Solar PV Project was developed as a demonstration project to showcase a viable inclusive governance scheme that can provide and sustain electricity to a rural community. While the community project […]
Lesotho’s Renewable Energy Opportunities
Dr Moeketsi Kali writes on the current situation and potential for renewable energy developments in Lesotho. Lesotho’s leading renewable energy generation is state-owned and managed by Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC). The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) generates electricity, and LEC transmits and distributes it across the country. In addition to hydro, LEC manages a mini-grid […]
The Anchor based mini-Grid System Model
As a doctoral researcher exploring the social and political dimensions of rural electrification systems, there is a principal alignment between my own research intentions and the “Energy Democracy and the Politics of Energy Transition in African Countries” (Energy Democracy) project. This is captured in an acknowledgement of the value placed on local community inclusion in […]
Electricity and Energy Transition in Nigeria
Have you ever wondered why it proves so difficult to address energy infrastructure challenges within developing African country contexts? What shapes energy systems development and the kind of energy infrastructure we end up with within developing country contexts? The book on Electricity and Energy transition in Nigeria provides readers with a detailed account of the […]
Introduction to the ENR-Demos blog
ENR-Demos – Energy democracy and the politics of energy transition in African countries is a UKRI GCRF-funded project (Grant No. ES/T006285/1) that aims to investigate what could mean energy democracy in the context of sub-Saharan African countries. The research deals with the political implications of energy transition in terms of greater participation of the civil […]