DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

A Socio-technical Study of Electricity Demand, Efficiency and Flexibility in the Urban Housing Sector of Burkina Faso

Project disclaimer

Disclaimer: The data for this page has been produced from IATI data published by DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY. Please contact them (Show Email Address) if you have any questions about their data.

Description

Universal access to a secure electricity supply is essential for the economic development and welfare of the population of Burkina Faso. Rapid urbanisation and an increased use of air conditioning (AC) has led to an 8.4% annual increase in the country's electricity demand since 2010. The nation's generation capacity is unable to keep up, resulting in frequent power outages, and a 45% dependence on energy imports creating high and volatile costs for consumers. An uninterrupted and affordable electricity supply would increase household incomes; improve education of children; save time and money collecting alternative fuels, particularly for women; improve the productivity of businesses; and accelerate the installation of new electricity connections. These direct benefits would reduce current rates of social and economic poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and emigration in the country. Upgrading the country's electricity generation and supply system is a long-term challenge, but in the short-term, our project partners, the Government of Burkina Faso and national electricity utility, SONABEL, believe the implementation of demand side management (DSM) programmes (electricity efficiency and flexibility) in the housing sector (which accounts for 33% of national electricity use) would better balance supply and demand and unlock these beneficial development outcomes. The Government has also committed to reduce electricity demand and improve energy efficiency in homes to cut Green House Gas emissions and help mitigate the effects of climate change, a phenomenon that disproportionately effects the Sahel region where Burkina Faso is located and is itself further exacerbating electricity demand as households are increasingly using AC to stay cool. However, at present, there is almost no data on household electricity demand, efficiency or flexibility in Burkina Faso for a successful, evidence based implementation of DSM. The aims and objectives of this research and partnership building project will address this substantial gap in knowledge. The project has been developed collaboratively with the Government of Burkina Faso and SONABEL to ensure the research delivers the data and evidence they need. For the direct research, a socio-technical residential electricity study will be undertaken with 100 households in Ouagadougou. Field measurements of electricity demands and internal temperatures of homes will provide empirical insights into households' electricity load profiles, use of AC, time-of-use and peak loads. An efficiency and flexibility survey will be completed to understand households' current practices and opportunities for improving energy efficiency at home, as well as identifying load shifting and curtailment actions that households would be willing to implement to prevent power outages. Diversity in responses due to the socio-technical characteristics of the households and dwellings will be studied. Simultaneously a range of partnership building activities (e.g. research visits, project meetings, workshops, mini conference) will be undertaken. These are tailored to the stage of the project programme to either inform the delivery of the direct research or form a platform for discussion, dissemination and impact generation of the research findings. An international network of 6 Universities will be created where future research on energy and development challenges in Burkina Faso and other African countries will stem. The network will also act as a platform for ongoing mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and skills. To deliver development impact within the project's life time, workshops with the Government and SONABEL will turn the research findings into evidence based recommendations to inform future policy and DSM programmes. Project partner GGGI will use their extensive network, to engage wider stakeholders and beneficiaries, so a range of routes to impact are achieved.

Objectives

The project has the following aims and objectives: Aim 1: To understand the electricity demands and avenues for demand side management programmes in urban homes in Burkina Faso and how these relate to the socio-technical characteristics of the households and dwellings. Aim 2: To develop international partnerships with academics, industry, government and development organisations to address the electricity demand challenges faced by Burkina Faso. The Aims will be achieved by pursuing the following objectives. Objective 1. Planning and Testing: Develop the materials for the recruitment of a cohort of households for the field study. Test and calibrate the monitoring equipment to be installed in the field study homes. Prepare a database for the storage of socio-technical, efficiency and flexibility and measurement data from the field study homes. Objective 2. Field Study: Undertake field measurements of the electricity demands and internal temperatures of a cohort of 100 homes in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Investigate the opportunities for efficiency and flexibility with the cohort of households using a survey. Objective 3. Analysis: Analyse the relationships between electricity demands, efficiency and flexibility and socio-technical characteristics of the cohort of households and dwellings. Provide and discuss in workshops evidence based recommendations with key stakeholders in Burkina Faso to inform the implementation of policy and demand side management programmes. Objective 4. Partnership Building, Impact and Dissemination: Undertake a range of partnership building activities with the investigators, project partners, advisory panel and wider stakeholders to ensure both the value and impact of the research is realised and to lay the groundwork for future collaborative projects to continue to tackle energy and development challenges in Burkina Faso and other neighbouring African countries.

---

Location

The country, countries or regions that benefit from this Programme.

Burkina Faso

Disclaimer: Country borders do not necessarily reflect the UK Government's official position.