#Electrifying the #African #Household
#Africa's #development #energy is in domestically generated sources solar. African development has to be bottom-up to reach more #lowincome #populations faster. This will require affordable energy sources generated more at the household level and within domestic control. The #africanhousehold will remain the basic unit of #production and African #householdenergy needs will rely more on #electricgoods as opposed to #biomass.
#Affordable energy sources generated at the household level to power increased number of electrified household activities. Households will require increased energy awareness and control to budget and control their energy needs. The number of electrified household goods and services continue to rise. The number of services domesticated equally continue to rise. The mobile phone continues to provide a platforms that provide more application #Apps services in #education #health #banking, #government and #retail shopping. The cost and spread of smartphones increase the household demand for electricity. Households will increase #access and number of #smartphones and demand for electricity.
Smartphones penetration will also empower african household domestic production activities. from access to #credit, #market for household goods like #eggs, #fruits and #vegetables, and provision of services like #training, #work and #schooling.
The numbers may differ with more energy control in rural as opposed to urban areas. Urban areas will remain more grid tied sources even where they have additional domestic sources. Surburban and rural households where the #grid #reliability and affordability least targets will see more indepedent endeavours, especially as #cost of technologies (like #solarpanels, chargers, #batteries etc) continue to fall.
As households dependency on electrified goods and services increase, penetration of #electricity will increase. Rural africa, currently charges their phones in local market centres. the number of charge is not large enough to warrant demand for domestic generation. Domestic #generation is equally growing with reducsing costs and sizes of solar panels and charging facilities. The entry of schemes that provide these electrified goods and services with daily payments like #Mkopa from #Safaricom in #Kenya are also increasing.
Finally the penetration of #minigrids is also increasing. More #off-grid villages are being connected to solar and wind sources, connecting households together. More african #governments need to work with and facilitate local, national and international players like #WorldBank to expand bottom up energy sources that empowers women, households domestic and productions activities at an affordable and sustainable manner.
Ojooel