A participatory design for a billing system: A South African case study of a community based telephony system

This paper describes the role participatory design can play in developing and implementing an information and communication technology for development project in a rural area. It shows how the process of co-designing an artifact can reflect and shape social development. A case study was conducted in the Mankosi Community in the Eastern Cape with the aim of designing and implementing a billing system for an existing community-owned telephony system, by accommodating the community’s requirements. Relevant criteria had to be considered for this telephony system based on voice over Internet Protocol with the possibility of ‘break-out’ calls to external networks. Different payment modalities were explored that would allow for a transparent method of both collecting money and applying the collected funds to achieve the project’s sustainability. A participative methodology with future users and operators of the network—using scenarios and prototypes to illustrate the implementation—informed the design of the billing system. Data was collected by means of unstructured interviews and focus group discussions. Qualitative data was analyzed using a qualitative content analysis tool. The community indicated that a billing system, based on both vouchers and prepaid service, would satisfy their needs.Telkom, Cisco, Aria Technologies, THRIPDepartment of HE and Training approved lis

Wireless transmission of metering data from a photovoltaic solar home system via global systems for mobile communication (GSM) short message service (SMS)

This paper focuses on the area of remote solar home system metering in an effort to bridge solar energy management in the industry with information technology (IT). A wireless platform was designed using ordinary mobile phone handsets to relay real time digital metering data from a remote PV solar home system via a GSM short message services to a central server (private computer). Here, we experimentally demonstrate the concept of a wireless data transmission of digital direct current (DC) metering data, based on simple and cost‐effective telecommunication technologies through programmed microcontroller circuits that connects to two mobile phones (client and server sets). A set of data was obtained through direct cable connection (meter‐adaptor‐PC) and also through wireless connection (meter‐GSM‐adaptor‐PC). The microcontroller at the server end extracted and decoded data from the received SMS (for wireless connection) and relayed the data to the data adaptor. The applications software in the PC downloaded the data from data adaptor and grouped it into clusters. Statistical graphs were plotted from the clustered data and real time virtual metering data was displayed at the PC. From the results, data received from the wireless transmission mode matched the real time data on the meter display but with short time lapses due to SMS delivery delays. The data from direct cable connection was highly reliable because data streamed live from the meter to the data adaptor. It was also observed that the GSM‐SMS was practical to the extent that programming errors were eliminated and the network is reliable enough to reduce data transmission inefficiencies. Further work on a dedicated, efficient, and an all‐in‐one meter with wireless transmission capabilities is required for wide scale adoption of the technology. This technology can find applications in off‐grid electrification where investors can sell power through aggregated solar home systems instead of establishing grid connected solar farms. Solar energy can also be quantified to qualify for clean development mechanisms so as to benefit from carbon finances.Key words: PV solar home system, DC power meter, GSM, data adaptor softwar

Energy Access and Urban Poverty: Energy and Everyday Life in an Informal Settlement in Maputo, Mozambique

The great majority of people without access to modern energy services are rural and, rightly, much of the discussion on energy access focuses on how to reach them. However, despite their greater geographical proximity to grid electricity and other supplies of clean energy, people living in poverty in urban areas also lack energy access. The World Bank’s own trials of the Global Tracking Framework demonstrated this for Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We need a greater understanding of how people access energy in these contexts, and what the barriers and opportunities are for improving that access. This paper explores these questions in the context of an in-depth study of the Chamanculo C settlement in Maputo, Mozambique

Solar PV for decentralised generation for commercial buildings in Nigeria: a case study of the architecture building at Kodi state poltechnic

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of The Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Sustainable Energy Efficient Cities). Johannesburg, 2017The centralised energy generation system has been constantly criticised for not meeting the demand of Nigerian consumers. Recent studies on Nigeria’s energy crises suggest that there should be an urgent adoption of decentralized generation (DG) as a means of alleviating energy poverty in the country, and as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emission (GHG) from the popular fossil-fuel based standalone generators. However, businesses today are anxiously trying to find ways to lower their energy related expenditures. In line with these assertions, and using a case study of the Department of Architectural Office Building (DAOB) to incorporate rooftop solar PV system, the study uses a Design Builder and Energy plus simulation software to model and analyse the DAOB. This study is based on primary and secondary data sources. The study assessed policy regulatory and market structures which could stimulate the increased deployment of such systems in Nigeria. The electricity bills for one year reported an annual consumption of 12,407 kWh, at the cost of N297, 762 ($945) and likewise the cost of operating a building on diesel generator for a period of one year was calculated at N2, 688,000 ($8,513) while the status-quo baseline energy consumption of the building from simulation and the cost implication per annum was 69,733 kWh and ₦1,673,592 ($5,579) respectively. Optimisation of the baseline consumption through a combination of three feasible energy efficiency initiatives reduced the baseline annual consumption by 47% from 69,733kWh to 37,298 kWh. The roof had the capacity to generate 155,347kWh which could cover for both the baseline and the optimised annual electricity consumption. The analysis revealed further that the roof could generate a surplus of 118,045 kWh/annum based on the optimised energy consumption. Using financial analysis tools of payback period, return on investment and net present value, the study undertook a number of business case scenarios to establish a viable business model. Based on the financial analysis performed, a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA) business model was identified as the most suitable to overcome the barrier of upfront cost.MT 201

Threats and challenges of smart grids deployments - a developing nations’ perspective

Considerable efforts in huge investments are being made to achieve a resilient Smart Grids (SGs) deployment for the improvement of power delivery scheme. Unsurprisingly, many developing nations are making slow progress to the achievement of this feat, which is set to revolutionize the power industry, own to several deployment and security issues. Studying these threats and challenges from both technical and non-technical view, this paper presents a highlight and assessment of each of the identified challenges. These challenges are assessed by exposing the security and deployment related threats while suggesting ways of tackling these challenges with prominence to developing nations. Although, a brief highlight, this review will help key actors in the region to identify the related challenges and it’s a guide to sustainable deployments of SGs in developing nations

An M&E mobile based application for Pico PV lighting solutions for the “Kerosene Free Kenya” project

Conference paper Izael Pereira Da Silva, Geoffrey Ronoh, David Njugi Maina Ulm, Germany 2013This paper describes the use of a mobile based application used as a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) tool to a pilot project supported by the National Council for Science and Technology of Kenya (NCST) which seeks to research best practices and lessons learned in the dissemination of Pico PV systems to rural households in Kenya. In order to overcome the affordability barrier a microfinance institution (MFI) was brought into the system, to properly handle the challenge of access to finance while Lighting Africa will provide standards for the products to be distributed. Many of such pilot system have been used in practically all countries of East Africa. The novelty of the present one is the use of an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) mobile based tool to collect and transmit data. This will make the analysis of the product quality, user experience and faults much simpler and given the two ways relationship between the researchers and the users, consumer satisfaction and product improvement is envisaged to happen in a to date unprecedented manner. As the clients are distributed in a known geographical region, the researchers have provided for the training of technicians to handle repairs and battery replacement locally. As the duration of the project is 2 years, it is expected that the follow up of product performance and life span will be measured way beyond its payback period.This paper describes the use of a mobile based application used as a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) tool to a pilot project supported by the National Council for Science and Technology of Kenya (NCST) which seeks to research best practices and lessons learned in the dissemination of Pico PV systems to rural households in Kenya. In order to overcome the affordability barrier a microfinance institution (MFI) was brought into the system, to properly handle the challenge of access to finance while Lighting Africa will provide standards for the products to be distributed. Many of such pilot system have been used in practically all countries of East Africa. The novelty of the present one is the use of an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) mobile based tool to collect and transmit data. This will make the analysis of the product quality, user experience and faults much simpler and given the two ways relationship between the researchers and the users, consumer satisfaction and product improvement is envisaged to happen in a to date unprecedented manner. As the clients are distributed in a known geographical region, the researchers have provided for the training of technicians to handle repairs and battery replacement locally. As the duration of the project is 2 years, it is expected that the follow up of product performance and life span will be measured way beyond its payback period

Mitigating exclusionary greening of South African cities through participation of indigent households in renewable energy: the case of Galeshwe settlement in Sol Plaatjie municipality, South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Architecture in the field of Sustainable and Energy Efficient Cities Johannesburg May 2018Based on the Sol Plaatje Municipality case study, this study focuses on how an innovative municipal business and funding approach could serve as a tool for transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy (solar) for the benefit of both indigent households and the municipality. Primary data from the municipality and indigent households in Galeshewe settlement indicates that in its current form, the 50kWh free basic electricity that indigent households receive monthly from the municipality is insufficient for their basic energy needs, while purchasing additional electricity is becoming increasingly unaffordable. This results in suppressed demand for the households and ongoing risk to the municipality due to escalating costs. In mitigation of the two fundamental challenges, findings from primary and secondary data have guided the study to the Renewable Energy for Low Income Earners (RELIE) model. The Equitable Share Grant and Integrated National Electrification Programme Grant (as currently allocated to municipalities by National Treasury and the Department of Energy for free basic electricity and electricity infrastructure provision for low income households) are highlighted as the initial funding channels under the proposed model based on a backcasting approach. Municipal energy plans and policies as well as integrated human settlements’ spatial plans also emerge as critical tools for transitioning to inclusionary RE. Other funding sources in the RELIE model include existing government funds such as the Green Fund and the Central Energy Fund from the Department of Environmental Affairs, as well as supplementary funds from relevant agencies such as climate funding entities and philanthropic socially responsive investments. The model also envisages end-user contribution through affordable payments for service. In conclusion, the study recommends that the RELIE model findings could be adapted for other municipalities in South Africa faced with the escalating indigent household energy crisis.MT 201

Disruptive innovation for inclusive renewable policy in sub-Saharan Africa: A social shaping of technology analysis of appliance uptake in Rwanda.

Rural off-grid renewable energy solutions often fail due to uncertainties in household energy demand, insufficient community engagement, inappropriate financial models and policy inconsistency. Social shaping of technology (SST) of household appliances provides a critical lens of understanding the involved socio-technical drivers behind these constraints. This study employs an SST lens to investigate appliance uptake drivers in 14,580 households in Rwanda, such that these drivers can aid in policy design for green growth at the grassroots level. The methodology includes an epistemological review of non-income drivers of appliance uptake. Empirical analysis using a binary logistic regression, based on which disruptive innovation pathways were derived for fostering green growth. Results showed that appliance uptake was highly gendered and skewed across the Ubudehe (social welfare) categories. ICT-devices like mobile phones and radios had a higher likelihood of ownership than welfare appliances like refrigerator and laundry machines. Fans and cookers also demonstrated a greater probability of ownership. Disruptive innovation pathways were derived from leveraging the ICT-driven wave of appliance ownership, creation of service sectors through off-grid renewable solutions and promoting cleaner fuel-switching of cooking energy at the household level. Further policy implications were drawn to support the creation of consumption identities for green growth.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [OPP1144

A template for promoting energy conservation in Nigeria’s residential sector

Energy conservation is an all-encompassing principle (building economics, behavioural, technological and educational) whose cumulative effects can result to improvement in energy access, energy availability and sufficiency, quality of life and retractive impacts on climate change and reduction in carbon footprint of a country. With the current global realities of COVID-19 pandemic, energy conservation has become one of the systemic resilience strategies necessary to manage dwindling energy supplies and financial shocks. However, as simplistic as it sounds, energy conservation as a behaviour of household consumers is a complex phenomenon that has persisted throughout the century. While strategic policies and long-term planning have promoted and re-orient consumers in some developed and developing countries towards energy conservation behaviour, there is no paradigm shift from energy wastage to energy conservation among consumers in Nigeria’s residential sector. This paper therefore discusses the factors that constrains energy conservation among household electricity consumers, unearths precursors and enablers of energy conservation with peculiar appeal to Nigeria. Policy implications and strategies of entrenching energy conservation culture are also outlined.   &nbsp

Sustainable Design Solutions for Batipa Field Institute

The Batipa Field Institute has a vision to grow into a research station that thrives in the scientific community and in ecotourism. The goal of this project was to propose designs for sustainable energy and resource utilization for implementation at the institute. The final designs included installing a photovoltaic system and internet connectivity, utilizing excess teak wood, and developing a concept for a rainwater harvesting and photovoltaic support structure. This was accomplished through an iterative stakeholder oriented design process where communication allowed for the narrowing of research to achieve detailed final recommendations