Lighting the World: the first application of an open source, spatial electrification tool (OnSSET) on Sub-Saharan Africa

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Agenda 2030, which comprises a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by 169 targets. 'Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030' is the seventh goal (SDG7). While access to energy refers to more than electricity, the latter is the central focus of this work. According to the World Bank's 2015 Global Tracking Framework, roughly 15% of the world's population (or 1.1 billion people) lack access to electricity, and many more rely on poor quality electricity services. The majority of those without access (87%) reside in rural areas. This paper presents results of a geographic information systems approach coupled with open access data. We present least-cost electrification strategies on a country-by-country basis for Sub-Saharan Africa. The electrification options include grid extension, mini-grid and stand-alone systems for rural, peri-urban, and urban contexts across the economy. At low levels of electricity demand there is a strong penetration of standalone technologies. However, higher electricity demand levels move the favourable electrification option from stand-alone systems to mini grid and to grid extensions

A Geospatial Assessment of Small-Scale Hydropower Potential in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has been at the epicenter of an ongoing global dialogue around the issue of energy poverty. More than half of the world’s population without access to modern energy services lives there. It also happens to be a sub-continent with plentiful renewable energy resource potential. Hydropower is one of them, and to a large extent it remains untapped. This study focuses on the technical assessment of small-scale hydropower (0.01–10 MW) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The underlying methodology was based on open source geospatial datasets, whose combination allowed a consistent evaluation of 712,615 km of river network spanning over 44 countries. Environmental, topological, and social constraints were included in the form of constraints in the optimization algorithm. The results are presented on a country and power pool basis

Predictive mapping of the global power system using open data

Limited data on global power infrastructure makes it difficult to respond to challenges in electricity access and climate change. Although high-voltage data on transmission networks are often available, medium- and low-voltage data are often non-existent or unavailable. This presents a challenge for practitioners working on the electricity access agenda, power sector resilience or climate change adaptation. Using state-of-the-art algorithms in geospatial data analysis, we create a first composite map of the global power system with an open license. We find that 97% of the global population lives within 10 km of a MV line, but with large variations between regions and income levels. We show an accuracy of 75% across our validation set of 14 countries, and we demonstrate the value of these data at both a national and regional level. The results from this study pave the way for improved efforts in electricity modelling and planning and are an important step in tackling the Sustainable Development Goals

Bis(μ-N,N-diallyldithiocarbamato)bis[(N,N-diallyldithiocarbamato)cadmium]

The title compound, [Cd2(C7H10NS2)4], is a neutral dinuclear cadmium(II) complex bearing four bis N,N-diallyldithiocarbamate ligands coordinating to two CdII cations. In each of the monomeric subunits, there are four S atoms of two dithiocarbamate ligands [Cd—S = 2.5558 (3), 2.8016 (3), 2.6050 (3) and 2.5709 (3) Å] that coordinate to one CdII atom in a bidentate mode. The dimers are located over an inversion centre bridged by two additional bridging Cd—S bonds [2.6021 (3) Å], leading to a substantial distortion of the geometry of the monomeric subunit from the expected square-planar geometry. The five-coordinate environment around each of the CdII ions in the dimer is best described as substantially tetragonally distorted square pyramidal. The dithiocarbamate groups are themselves planar and are also coplanar with the CdII ions. The negative charge on these groups is delocalized by resonance across the S atoms bound to the CdII cation. This delocalization of the π electrons in the dithiocarbamate groups also extends to the C—N bonds as they reveal significant double bond character [C—N = 1.3213 (16) and 1.3333 (15) Å]

The Changing Role of Natural Gas in Nigeria

Nigeria is richly endowed with energy resources, and the Government has been making large profits from their export. However, windfall revenues have also been affecting the Government’s responsiveness and accountability towards the people and they have brought it into collusive relationship with international oil and gas companies operating in the country. A skewed distribution of petroleum resources costs and benefits, as well as the dependence on exports exposing the public finances to volatility in the international markets have represented further major issues. As a result, energy access and power generation still represent urgent issues for action in the country. Solid biomass accounts for 74% of the primary energy consumption, while the electrification rate stands at 34% in rural areas. Active power plants are mainly gas-fired, but they face capacity, maintenance, and financial constraints. While historically natural gas has been disregarded or flared into the atmosphere because it was considered a by-product of oil due to lacking market conditions and processing capacity, today the development of a domestic market for natural gas is seen as a key priority to guarantee energy security and boost industrial development in Nigeria. A more efficient and equitable governance of the sector and management of export revenues can play a major role in this sense. In this context, this paper highlights the main current issues and underpins key policy conditions for this transition to take place in Nigeria