Multiple transitions to sustainable energy systems in Senegal - An analysis of driving forces, institutional settings, regional capabilities, local embedding, and path creation processes

There is great potential for renewable energy (RE) in Senegal. Like other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal needs a reliable and affordable energy supply to fuel its growing energy needs (IRENA, 2020a) and has abundant natural resources for renewable energy (IRENA, 2020b). Developing RE could promote energy independence, reduce energy costs, enable a robust energy supply, create new jobs, provide access to unserved rural areas, and, above all, contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (Apfel and Herbes, 2021). But the country still relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, and the factors in a transition to renewable energy are little understood (Apfel et al., 2021). Complex political, economic, and social systems interact in Senegal to influence the transition processes, and the research reported in this thesis was undertaken to better understand both these systems and their interactions. Two overarching questions drive the research: First, what leads small- and medium-sized entrepreneurial enterprises (SMEs) – nearly all the businesses in Senegal – to participate, or not, in the transition of the energy sector towards renewable energy? Second, what social, economic and political dynamics are behind the creation of emerging energy paths in Senegal? Three intersecting approaches were taken to these questions. First, a systematic literature review of RE research in the Global South was done. Quantitative models, especially energy models, are found to dominate the discourse. Political and social processes are surprisingly under-researched. Established concepts and approaches appear inadequate to understand sustainable energy transitions in the Global South. To find more viable concepts, I derive five avenues for future research: sociotechnical energy imaginaries, power in energy systems, social innovations, business factors and spatial dimensions (Apfel et al., 2021). The second line of inquiry explores entrepreneurship in Senegal, specifically the factors influencing RE adoption by Senegalese entrepreneurs. Using an extended UTAUT 2 model to analyze interviews with 23 SMEs and 13 energy experts, I find effort expectancy is generally underestimated, usually due to inadequate knowledge about RE. Performance expectancy can be high and may have a positive impact on the adoption process, while social influence does not seem to play a role. Paramount among facilitating conditions is the support of the government, although the cost of RE technologies is also an influencing factor. The factors motivating RE adoption associated with prosumerism in the West cannot be assumed in Senegal. The third approach to understanding the energy transition in Senegal comes out of Evolutionary Economic Geography, where the framework of regional path creation processes of MacKinnon et al. (2019) is used to analyze interview data from 17 Senegalese energy experts. In this way, I identify three parallel emerging energy paths – path transplantation, indigenous path creation and path upgrading. Each is evolving in a different sector of the energy system and at its own pace and scale. Each differs greatly in its underlying legitimation and the support from institutions for its development. Dominant structures along each path are identified and future opportunities to address Senegal’s energy futures are highlighted (Apfel, 2022). In addition to contributing to researchers in the field, the results reported herein can inform and encourage professionals of development agencies, regional institutions, NGOs and private firms in shaping a sustainable energy system in Senegal

The vulnerability assessment within dynaklim - a tool for analysing the effects of climate change on enterprises

Managing the impacts of climate change is an important issue for sustainable urban planning. A large range of economic activities influence urban climate and are influenced by climate change itself. The impacts of climate change on power plants, manufacturing processes and business locations as well as adaptation options should be analysed to understand the vulnerability to climate change. The seriousness of the potential impacts of climate change on enterprises requires new concepts and innovative products for flexible and robust adaptation options. The analysis of the impacts of climate change on enterprises and potential adaptation measures is the basis of the research framework of a “climate-focused economic development” within the networking and research project dynaklim. A differentiated vulnerability assessment enables us to define and identify strategies of adaptation in the means of organisational, marked-focused and technical developments

Forschungsstand zur Betroffenheit von Branchen und ihre Anpassungsfähigkeit an die Folgen des Klimawandels

Der globale Klimawandel verändert die lokale Umwelt und damit die Rahmenbedingungen unter denen wir leben und wirtschaften. Insbesondere das prognostizierte häufigere Auftreten von Extremwetterereignissen wie Starkregen und Hitzeperioden wird zukünftig das sozio-ökonomische und ökologische Handeln beeinflussen. Die wissenschaftliche Diskussion um die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Wirtschaft bildet für die Entwicklung einer „Klimafokussierte Wirtschaftsentwicklung“ innerhalb des Netzwerk- und Forschungsprojekts dynaklim die Grundlage für eine erste Einschätzung der Betroffenheit der regional vertretenen Branchen der Emscher-Lippe-Region und des Ruhrgebiets. In dem vorliegenden Papier wird eine Literaturauswertung von rund 70 nationalen und internationalen Quellen, die bis 2009 erschienen sind, vorgenommen. Insgesamt belegt die Auswertung, dass Branchen sowohl negativ als auch positiv von den Folgen des Klimawandels betroffen sind, wodurch weder eine klare Risiko- noch eine klare Chancen-Dominanz für die deutsche Wirtschaft hinsichtlich der Klimawandelfolgen ausgemacht werden kann. Sehr wenig ist derzeit jedoch über die Anpassungskapazität von Branchen und die Berechnung von Schadensdimensionen bekannt. Die Literaturauswertung ist der erste Teil der dreiteiligen Reihe „Vulnerability Assessment der dynaklim- Wirtschaft“. Sie bildet die Grundlage für eine ausführliche Betroffenheitsanalyse (Chancen und Risiken) ausgewählter Branchen in der dynaklim-Region (Teil II) sowie die Untersuchung und Bewertung der Adaptive Capacity spezifischer Branchen (Teil III)

Renewable energy transition in Senegal? Exploring the dynamics of emerging paths to a sustainable energy system

Research into the transition of energy systems has attracted considerable attention in recent years from a wide range of disciplines and perspectives. From evolutionary economic geography (EEG), scholars have emphasized the processes underlying the formation of new energy paths in energy system transitions. These processes have been well studied in Global North countries, but insights into the processes shaping the energy transition in sub-Saharan Africa are still limited. This study provides a contribution to fill that gap by exploring the emerging energy paths in Senegal through the lens of EEG, using the framework of regional path creation processes to analyze qualitative interview data from 17 experts in the Senegalese energy sector. Senegal is an instructive country to study, as its energy sector is undergoing substantial reform that has accelerated the deployment of large-scale renewable energy projects in recent years. The study uncovers three parallel evolving energy paths stemming from path transplantation, indigenous path creation, and path upgrading. Each path differs greatly in its legitimation and in the role of institutions as enablers. These results not only contribute to the ongoing scientific debate; but also provide insights for development agencies, national and regional institutions, NGOs and private actors involved in the Senegalese energy system

Anpassungskapazität der dynaklim-Wirtschaft : Vulnerability-Assessment der dynaklim-Wirtschaft Teil 3

Der Klimawandel stellt schon heute ein wichtiges Thema in Unternehmen dar. Die Unternehmen setzen sich auf Grund der politischen Agenda, aus Gründen der Ressourceneffizienz sowie der steigenden „sozialen Erwünschtheit“ immer stärker mit Klimaschutz auseinander. Doch ist auch die Anpassung an den Klimawandel für die Unternehmen der dynaklim-Region ein Thema? Und wenn ja, wie passen sich die Unternehmen tatsächlich an? Was ermöglicht es Unternehmen das Thema Anpassung an den Klimawandel anzugehen und welche Hemmnisse werden gesehen? Aussagen hierüber lassen sich über die Ermittlung der Anpassungskapazität treffen, welcher in diesem Beitrag nachgegangen wird

Standort- und marktbezogene Betroffenheit der regionalen Wirtschaft durch den Klimawandel

Unternehmen und Branchen sind hinsichtlich der Folgen des Klimawandels neuen Risiken und Chancen ausgesetzt. Die Auswirkungen der Klimaveränderungen auf die Wirtschaft sind vielseitig und anspruchsvoll zugleich. Zukünftig sind neue Risikodimensionen in zahlreichen Unternehmensbereichen zu berücksichtigen. Ebenso facettenreich gestalten sich die Möglichkeiten der Branchen und Unternehmen um den Anforderungen des Klimawandels auf der Chancenseite durch Innovationen zu begegnen. Um ein tiefgreifendes Verständnis für die positive und negative Betroffenheit von Unternehmen zu erlangen, bedarf es von daher einer branchen- und regionenspezifischen Bewertung der Betroffenheit durch die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels. Die Betroffenheitsanalyse des Vulnerability-Assessment vereinigt beide Seiten der unternehmerischen Herausforderung und betrachtet die Betroffenheit sowohl als Risikofaktor, als auch als Chance den Klimawandel als Wirtschaftsfaktor zu nutzen. Die analytische Betrachtung der Chancen und Risiken ermöglicht es somit Schlussfolgerungen über den Status-Quo der Betroffenheitsdimension der bedeutendsten Branchen der dynaklim-Region zu treffen und die zukünftigen Herausforderungen besser einschätzen zu können

What Drives Senegalese SMEs to Adopt Renewable Energy Technologies?

Renewable energy technology (RET) can help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies to both meet the need for a stable energy supply and contribute to the fight against climate change. In Senegal, SMEs have the opportunity through RET to become electricity prosumers. Whether it works as such in Senegalese SMEs is one of the questions we were able to address through qualitative interviews with 23 SMEs and 13 experts. Using qualitative content analysis, we examined what factors promote the adoption of RET by these SMEs. We also examined how well the established Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model (UTAUT2) can serve as a guiding framework for this type of investigation. We find that effort expectancy is generally underestimated. Performance expectancy, when high, may influence the adoption process positively, while social influence does not seem to play a role. Both SMEs and experts point to customer service and government support for SMEs adopting RET as important facilitating conditions. The cost of RET is another factor influencing the adoption of these technologies. However, we regard the UTAUT2 as only partially helpful for the Senegalese context, due to the informal sector economy in Senegal. This leads us to add the factors knowledge, communication channels and entrepreneurial orientation. Moreover, we question the unequivocally positive notion of prosumerism for African contexts, as the idea draws its motivating power from a Western mindset