CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Omugar, Trizer |
|---|---|
| Title | Transition to renewables and the impact on energy poverty in Kenya |
| Summary | Renewable energy (RE) is increasingly being fronted as the energy future in response to climate change discourses and global impacts. Worldwide, nations are pursuing different energy transition pathways but with the common agenda of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing or sustaining their economies. Africa’s energy transition studies are unique in that they involve more of expansion and modernization of their RE systems rather than shifting from heavy fossil fuels as exemplified by Kenya; one of the continental leaders in RE transitions. The current energy transition is exposing energy poverty as a considerable challenge to Kenya’s energy demands and future socio-economic development goals. Despite the uniqueness demonstrated in Kenya and Africa as a whole in energy transition, research on the drivers and hindrances towards their transition pathways are comparatively scarce. Studies on the interconnection between energy poverty and energy transition are also limited. Hence, this research sheds light on Kenya’s energy transition and energy poverty nexus by using qualitative interviews and literature review. The results of this research demonstrate that Kenya’s RE systems are highly associated with techno-economic, socio-technical and political drivers and the challenges facing the transition are related to gradual rate of change experienced in institutional, financial, policy and social frameworks. Additionally, the energy poverty nexus to energy transition indicate that the availability of RE has increased significantly, while accessibility, affordability and reliability are still lagging. This research concludes by recommending that energy poverty should not be sidelined in the transition process and calls for the holistic integration of all RE technologies and sectors if the ambitious transition targets are to be attained. |
| Supervisor | Prof. LaBelle Michael |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/omugar_trizer.pdf |
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