cantoni&al 2021 unattainable proximity submitted proof.pdf (1.57 MB)
Unattainable proximity: solar power and peri-urbanity in central Burkina Faso
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 22:44 authored by Roberto Cantoni, Lea Skræp Svenningsen, Safiétou SanfoIn the community of Zagtouli, close to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa's largest solar power plant. This is a 33 MW, on-grid, photovoltaic plant. Operational from late 2017, it produces electricity for Burkina Faso's public energy company, SONABEL. The electric grid built between the plant and Ouagadougou crosses Zagtouli in its middle: however, electricity connections throughout the community are markedly non-homogeneous. In particular, most of the southern half of Zagtouli suffers from a condition known in the literature as ‘under-the-grid’: namely, close to the grid but unable to connect to it. The benefits stemming from the presence of the nearby plant, therefore, remain unattainable for a large share of the local community. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation of energy practices and uses conducted in Zagtouli, we employ the theoretical framework of energy justice to analyse the connection between local justice issues and national electrification strategies. We claim that the national preference for on-grid, centralised plants may not adequately respond to the need for a more just local energy distribution; and that for peri-urban areas that are not planned to be fully connected to the grid in the short term, smaller-scale, decentralised solutions may be more appropriate to achieve full electricity access.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Energy PolicyISSN
0301-4215Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Volume
150Page range
112-127Article number
a112127Pages
15.0Department affiliated with
- SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2021-01-13First Open Access (FOA) Date
2022-01-12First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2021-01-12Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedLicence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC