The challenge of energy transition in the Global South: The case of electricity generation planning in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 109830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Afful-Dadzie ◽  
Alexandra Mallett ◽  
Eric Afful-Dadzie
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Global South ◽  
Generation Planning

scholarly journals Procurement, finance and the energy transition: Between global processes and territorial realities

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862199112
Author(s):  
Lucy Baker
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Community Empowerment ◽  
Renewable Electricity ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Asset Class ◽  
Renewable Electricity Generation ◽  
Utility Scale

Utility-scale renewable electricity generation is essential to decarbonisation as well as to ensuring affordable and secure electricity supplies around the world. Yet thus far there has been limited critical thinking dedicated to the complexities behind the finance and ownership of this new infrastructure and how national and local stakeholders should participate in and benefit from its development, particularly in contexts of high inequality in low- and middle-income countries. As the global renewable energy industry becomes increasingly consolidated and financialised, evidence from a number of countries suggests that despite the pro-environmental outcomes of utility-scale renewable electricity generation, the processes and institutions that procure and finance it have often failed to include or benefit individuals and communities living in the national and local vicinity. This paper therefore sets two key competing objectives of renewable electricity generation in context: as a predictable, long-term revenue stream for investors, and as a mechanism for socio-economic development and community empowerment. Building on scholarship from human geography, development studies and sustainability transitions, my analysis takes forward understandings of the role of finance in utility-scale renewable electricity generation as a key aspect of the political economy of the energy transition. In exploring the evolution of renewable electricity as a new and rapidly emerging asset class I consider how its development is increasingly determined by the frameworks and logics of finance and investment. Drawing on examples from South Africa and Mexico, I address the following questions: What are the evolving configurations and processes of finance and investment in utility-scale renewable electricity generation? How have they been facilitated? And what tensions have arisen from their implementation at the national and local level?

scholarly journals Does Combined Heat and Power Play the Role of a Bridge in Energy Transition? Evidence from a Cross-Country Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyo-Jin Kim ◽  
Jeong-Joon Yu ◽  
Seung-Hoon Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Parameter Estimate ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Impact

In an era of energy transition involving an increase in renewable energy and a reduction in coal-fired power generation and nuclear power generation, the role of combined heat and power (CHP) as a bridging energy is highly emphasized. This article attempts to look empirically into the impact of increasing the share of renewable energy in total electricity generation on CHP share in total electricity generation in a cross-country context. Data from 35 countries during the period 2009–2015 were used, and the least absolute deviations estimator was applied to obtain a more robust parameter estimate. The results showed that a 1%p increase in the share of renewable energy significantly increased the CHP share by 0.87%p. Therefore, the hypothesis that CHP serves as bridge energy in the process of energy transition was established.

scholarly journals Effects of a Delayed Expansion of Interconnector Capacities in a High RES-E European Electricity System

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 3098
Author(s):  
Ritter ◽  
Meyer ◽  
Koch ◽  
Haller ◽  
Bauknecht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Electricity Market ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Market Model ◽  
Electricity Trading ◽  
Electricity System ◽  
System A ◽  
The Impact

In order to achieve a high renewable share in the electricity system, a significant expansion of cross-border exchange capacities is planned. Historically, the actual expansion of interconnector capacities has significantly lagged behind the planned expansion. This study examines the impact that such continued delays would have when compared to a strong interconnector expansion in an ambitious energy transition scenario. For this purpose, scenarios for the years 2030, 2040, and 2050 are examined using the electricity market model PowerFlex EU. The analysis reveals that both CO2 emissions and variable costs of electricity generation increase if interconnector expansion is delayed. This effect is most significant in the scenario year 2050, where lower connectivity leads roughly to a doubling of both CO2 emissions and variable costs of electricity generation. This increase results from a lower level of European electricity trading, a curtailment of electricity from a renewable energy source (RES-E), and a corresponding higher level of conventional electricity generation. Most notably, in Southern and Central Europe, less interconnection leads to higher use of natural gas power plants since less renewable electricity from Northern Europe can be integrated into the European grid.

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