State of Knowledge: Energy Access in Zambia

Household electricity access is increasing; electricity access in urban areas (82%) is much greater than in rural areas (14%). The Rural Electrification Authority (REA) is increasing electricity access in rural areas by expanding the grid and implementing off-grid solar projects. Biomass is the primary cooking fuel in most Zambian households in both urban (charcoal) and rural (fuelwood) areas. The Rural Electrification Act of 2003 created the Rural Electrification Authority, with ambition to increase electrification to 51% of rural households by 2030. >80% of Zambia’s electricity is generated from hydropower; in the short term, the Government of Zambia is diversifying generation sources with coal (11% of power generation). Zambia has immense potential for power generation through solar, wind, geothermal, coal and further hydropower development Zambia is a net energy exporter through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP); the magnitude of cross-border biomass trade is poorly documented. Charcoal use has increased over the past 30 years and is expected to continue to rise as Zambia rapidly urbanizes. Kerosene use has effectively stopped, with significant drop-off since 2010. After residential use, the mining industry is the greatest consumer of energy. More data are needed to understand energy access and demand among schools and health care facilities. Zambia has released three National Energy Policy documents (1994, 2008, and 2019); the Ministry of Energy released the Integrated Resource Plan in 2021. The current energy agenda in Zambia is focused on diversifying the nation’s energy sector and ensuring equitable access to clean and renewable energy sources for all populations in Zambia. There are a wide range of stakeholders involved in the energy space in Zambia: government agencies and utilities, international aid organizations, NGOs, and private sector firms. In recent years, with the establishment of the Office for Promoting Private Power Investment, the Integrated Resource Plan, and Eighth National Development Plan, the government of Zambia has worked to integrate the efforts of all stakeholders towards their 2030 development goals in the energy sector. Hydropower, the main source of electricity generation in Zambia, is vulnerable to climate events (droughts, floods) that affect the reliability of water flowing through dam. Biomass reliance impacts deforestation and carbon stocks and biomass combustion contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Zambia is addressing vulnerabilities to and impacts on climate change through the 2016 National Climate Change Policy. There are a range of data sources available on energy use and supply in Zambia including household surveys and spatial data sets. The average number of academic publications on energy in Zambia has increased rapidly over the past 5 years

Malawi Solar Home System Study Baseline Report

Solar devices are promoted by donors, non-governmental organizations, governments, and the private sector as a key electricity solution for low income households. Solar includes both SHS and standalone panels; non-solar modern sources include grid, generator, and car battery; and low-quality lighting sources include candles, torches (including mobile phone torches), and kerosene lamps. In Malawi, the prevalence of solar device ownership among households has increased significantly over the past decade. In 2022, the Energy Poverty PIRE in Southern Africa (EPPSA) research team and the social enterprise VITALITE Malawi implemented a study focused on the adoption and impact of solar home systems among rural households in the central region of Malawi. Like in other parts of the country, rural households in Lilongwe District, Malawi have very limited access to electricity grid infrastructure and rely on flashlights, candles, and other low-quality lighting sources. Over the years, there has been a proliferation of solar home systems (SHS). SHS are electrical appliance bundles which include a solar-rechargeable battery/inverter along with a set of light bulbs and solar powered radio. These systems are accessible financially through a pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) scheme, where users lease the system and pay for tokens to unlock time use on the device on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. Whether the increased ownership of SHS has resulted in increased use of solar devices is not clear. Therefore, this study is designed to generate empirical evidence to improve understanding of household adoption, use, and impacts of solar electricity-providing devices and electricity-dependent appliances among rural households in Malawi

State of Knowledge: Energy Access in Malawi

Key Messages: Malawi has one of the lowest rates of household electrification in the world at 15%. 97% of households rely on solid fuels for cooking. Energy reliability is an issue due to interruptions in electricity supply; blackouts and brownouts are common. 95% of Malawi’s electricity generation comes from hydropower; there is a large deficit in supply relative to demand. Transmission capacity of Malawi’s electrical grid exceeds installed capacity by 170% percent. The Government of Malawi is working to diversify the energy generation profile through investment in renewable energies including wind and solar. A rapidly growing and urbanizing population will dramatically increase energy demand in coming years. Health centers have reasonably good energy access; schools lag behind. Industrial needs are not met by current energy systems. Electricity access is concentrated in urban areas; the Malawi Rural Electrification Program (MAREP) seeks to increase access in rural areas. The National Energy Policy aims to increase the affordability and reliability of energy nationwide by reaching 80% electricity access by 2035, in part through investment in solar and other renewable energy sources. Malawi’s energy policy has strong linkages to related sectors including health, climate, forestry, and gender. Malawi’s energy department has not been decentralized in line with other government departments. Several major international donors play a key role in funding, implementation and technical support in the energy sector. Household energy is a major focus of many international and local NGO and private sector efforts. Hydropower, Malawi’s main source of electricity generation, is highly vulnerable to climate events (droughts, floods). Heavy reliance on biomass contributes to climate change with greenhouse gas emissions from burning woodfuels, and due to lost forest carbon stocks. Malawi’s 2016 National Climate Change Management Policy directly addresses energy. Malawi’s census and other population representative surveys have information on energy access; spatial datasets supplement what we know about household demand for energy. Research on the social science dimensions of energy in Malawi is increasing with a focus on cooking, health, and lighting

State of Knowledge: Energy Access in Zimbabwe

Key Messages: Electricity access has slowly increased in rural areas but has remained constant in urban areas since the mid-1990s. The share of the population with access to clean fuels for cooking has declined since the mid-1990s. Improving energy access in Zimbabwe over recent decades has been hindered by economic and political instability. Electricity supply comes from coal (45.7%), hydropower (24.6%), and imported sources (29.7%). There is significant potential for solar power in Zimbabwe, but only small-scale solar projects are currently operational. Biomass accounts for 75% of household energy. Three sectors dominate energy consumption: mining and industries (45%), domestic (27%) and commercial (21%). Household energy demand is expected to increase in urban areas due to migration from rural areas. Energy needs of public institutions including health care facilities and schools is unmet. The National Energy Policy (2012) identified broad goals to increase access to modern energy. The National Renewable Energy Policy (2019) and the National Biofuels Policy (2020) provide long-term targets focused on renewable energy and sustainable biofuels. Linkages are weak between Zimbabwe’s energy policies and health, climate, forestry, and gender sector policies. The Government of Zimbabwe officially unbundled Zimbabwe Electric Supply Authority (ZESA) from a centrally managed state utility into several smaller utilities in 2019. The Rural Electrification Authority, a government funded group, is responsible for expanding the national grid to rural areas. The National Climate Policy (2017) outlines activities to mitigate the climate impact of energy generation and use. Despite climate mitigation efforts, the energy sector is Zimbabwe’s largest contributor of greenhouse gases. Energy dependent production systems including tobacco curing and sugar cane processing contribute to forest degradation in Zimbabwe. There are a range of data sources available on energy in Zimbabwe– household surveys, spatial data sets, and more. The number of publications on energy in Zimbabwe has historically been very low but has increased in the past few years. Publications since 2019 account for 77% of all publications since 1987

Zambia Clean Cooking Study (ZCCS): Baseline report for implementing partner VITALITE

Key Takeaways 88% of households with an Ecozoom use it as their primary stove; 12% use it as their secondary stove. 32% of households with an Ecozoom stove are also using it to heat their homes. Ecozoom users were using 1kg of charcoal less per day than non-users at baseline. No large differences at baseline in the income or expenditures of households who adopt an Ecozoom stove versus those who do not. No differences between exposure of primary cooks to carbon monoxide or fine particulate matter in households using an Ecozoom versus not

Zambia Clean Cooking Study (ZCCS): Baseline report for implementing partner SupaMoto

STUDY DESIGN AND SAMPLING The study is a quasi-experimental quantitative impact evaluation. It takes place in two purposively selected high-density compounds in Lusaka, Matero and Kalingalinga (Figure 2). The compounds, selected in collaboration with SupaMoto, are socio-demographically comparable neighborhoods where SupaMoto had already marketed their clean cooking solution, and had plans to market

State of Knowledge: Energy Access in Malawi

KEY MESSAGES. Energy Access: Malawi has one of the lowest rates of household electrification in the world at 15%. 97% of households rely on solid fuels for cooking. Energy reliability is an issue due to interruptions in electricity supply; blackouts and brownouts are common. Energy Supply: 95% of Malawi’s electricity generation comes from hydropower; there is a large deficit in supply relative to demand. Transmission capacity of Malawi’s electrical grid exceeds installed capacity by 170% percent. The Government of Malawi is working to diversify the energy generation profile through investment in renewable energies including wind and solar. Energy Demand: A rapidly growing and urbanizing population will dramatically increase energy demand in coming years. Health centers have reasonably good energy access; schools lag behind. Industrial needs are not met by current energy systems. Energy Policy: Electricity access is concentrated in urban areas; the Malawi Rural Electrification Program (MAREP) seeks to increase access in rural areas. The National Energy Policy aims to increase the affordability and reliability of energy nationwide by reaching 80% electricity access by 2035, in part through investment in solar and other renewable energy sources. Malawi’s energy policy has strong linkages to related sectors including health, climate, forestry, and gender. Energy Governance and Stakeholders: Malawi’s energy department has not been decentralized in line with other government departments. Several major international donors play a key role in funding, implementation and technical support in the energy sector. Household energy is a major focus of many international and local NGO and private sector efforts. Energy, Climate, Environment Linkages: Hydropower, Malawi’s main source of electricity generation, is highly vulnerable to climate events (droughts, floods). Heavy reliance on biomass contributes to climate change with greenhouse gas emissions from burning woodfuels, and due to lost forest carbon stocks. Malawi’s 2016 National Climate Change Management Policy directly addresses energy. Energy Data and Research: Malawi’s census and other population representative surveys have information on energy access; spatial datasets supplement what we know about household demand for energy. Research on the social science dimensions of energy in Malawi is increasing with a focus on cooking, health, and lighting