Insights from an energy poor Rwandan village

• Main Authors: VAN GEVELT, Terry, HOLZEIS, C. Canales, JONES, B., SAFDAR, M.T.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2016
• Subjects: Energy poverty; Rural development; Rural electrification; Rwanda; Sub-Saharan Africa; Energy Policy; Urban Studies and Planning
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cis_research/56; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/cis_research/article/1055/viewcontent/11_vol_32_june_2016.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

We used primary data collected from 163 households in an off-grid Rwandan village to provide insights into energy poverty at the household-level. Informed by the rural livelihoods literature, we constructed a novel asset- and income-based index to disaggregate our results by socio-economic status. We also employed microeconometric techniques to investigate the determinants of household willingness-to-pay for electricity. We found statistically significant differences between households of different socio-economic status for expenditure on lighting and other electricity services, willingness-to-pay for electricity, income-generating activities and food security. Overall, our findings suggest that initiatives aiming to end energy poverty and catalyze rural development should: (1) recognize the different potential impacts of policies on households of different socio-economic status; (2) be sensitive to energy stacking behavior; (3) take a holistic approach to rural development; (4) and ensure that households are able to access modern energy through flexible payment schemes and equitable and sustained improvements in income.