Reframing Energy Access

This book investigates energy access through the lens of everyday energy practices in the Gambian community of Kartong. It will be of great interest to policy makers, researchers and practitioners who work in the fields of energy access, energy policy, renewable energy transitions, as well as African and sustainable development in general.

"Energy for all is a noble ambition - so why do many projects fail? A common factor is too much focus on the tech - energy production - and too little on the ways people actually use energy in their daily lives. Whether it's transplanting rice, cooking food, or traveling on local transport, diverse social arrangements are often in place that achieve impressive results using modest means. This social dimension to energy access is often-overlooked, but Anne Schiffer's first-hand reporting brings it to life. As her fine-grained stories accumulate, the need to integrate energy use with transport, agriculture, and other forms of land-use, becomes inescapable. An understanding of the everyday yields further insights into enabling conditions for energy access: finance; volunteers with the right skills; time. These important lessons transcend both industrialised and developing world contexts." -- John Thackara, author of How To Thrive In The Next Economy and In The Bubble

Autorentext

Anne Schiffer is Senior Lecturer in the Leeds School of Arts, Leeds Beckett University, UK.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Why We Need Human Insights into Everyday Energy Practices 2. Remembering Energy Pasts: Situated Practices and Historic Changes 3. Delivering Sustainable Energy Access: An Exploration of Leapfrogging in Kartong 4. Current Energy Practices: Everyday Life in a Local Compound 5. Enough is Enough: Considering Energy Sufficiency 6. Kartong Energy Futures: Opportunities for Positive Change 7. Reframing Energy Access: Opportunities for Fair and Sustainable Consumption