Recent cega_eeg_ps items

The Impact of Electricity on Economic Development: A Macroeconomic Perspective

Fri, 31 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000

We find that electricity use and access are strongly correlated with economic development, as theory would suggest. Despite large empirical literatures and suggestive case evidence, there are, however, few methodologically strong studies that establish causal effects on an economy-wide basis. There is some evidence that reliability of electricity supply is important for economic growth. We propose that future research focuses on identifying the causal effects of electricity reliability, infrastructure, and access on economic growth; testing the replicability of the literature; and deepening our theoretical understanding of how lack ofavailability of electricity can be a constraint to growth.

What Do We Know About Economic Diversification in Oil-Producing Countries?

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Countries dependent on oil and mineral exports are often advised to diversify their economies, yet surprisingly little is known about how this can be done. This paper reviews the recent literature on diversification in resource-dependent states and suggests it has been constrained by missing and inconsistent data, and a reliance on diversification measures that are relatively uninformative for resource-rich states. It then uses an improved measure of export concentration from Papageorgiou and Spatafora to document three empirical patterns over the last half-century: the divergence between oil-producing states and non-oil states; the reconcentration of exports in most oil and mineral producing states since 1998, caused by the boom in commodity prices; and the heterogeneity of the oil producers, marked by greater diversification in Latin America and Southeast Asia, mixed performances in the Middle East, and greater concentration in Africa and the former Soviet Union. While change...

Powering the City in the Global South: Increasing Energy Access for all in a Context of Urbanisation and Changing Governance

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This paper addresses the role of governance of urban areas in shaping energy use in LICs and MICs, from the perspective of the poorest and disadvantaged. Urban dwellers in LICs and MICs often access electricity through irregular, patchy and informal connections which are frequently considered illegal. This situation is closely linked to how urban areas develop in LICs and MICs, often with weak urban governance and little control, resulting in what is termed‘informal settlements’ and slums. Studies of urban infrastructure in LICs and MICs have tended to concentrate on water and sanitation networks, with comparatively very limited attention being paid to access to electricity. The paper reviews the literature that exists on access toelectricity in urban areas in the Global South, and draws on experiences in other urban infrastructures that may provide lessons towards improving such access for the poorest and disadvantaged.

Modular and discrete: Opportunities for alternative power system planning, expansion and operation in developing countries

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

When developing electricity systems, generation and grid have been separately planned and demand has generally been assumed passive, estimated using aggregated approaches. However a variety of design, technology and regulatory solutions are available in modern power systems for a more tailored approach to power system development, which may hold great promise for low income countries to leapfrog towards sustainable and decentralised energy delivery. Monitoring of power systems from generation to load, PMUs, on-site storage, DLR, OLTC, direct load control or innovative network topologies including micro- and mini-gridscan reduce total costs, increase asset utilisation and modify the optimal phase-in of investments along a planning horizon. These allow for new planning approaches and more holistic phase-in of generation and networks. This paper reviews the scientific literature and best practice databases, providing a state-of-the-art perspective on the technical options,costs,...

Economic and Non-Economic Barriers and Drivers for the Uptake of Renewables

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Large scale renewables raise new challenges and provide new opportunities across electricity systems. This paper considers the barriers faced by large scale renewables in electricity systems in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We review the current state of knowledge in relation to grid-connected renewables. This paper then explores key issues in electricity systemstructure, the main challenges to the uptake of renewables, and the various existing fiscal and policy approaches to encouraging renewables. We also highlight possible ways moving forward to ensure more widespread renewables deployment.

Low-voltage System Designs for Energy Access