Abstract
In South Africa, household electrification has
improved significantly since the dawn of independence, with the
current national electrification rate at 87%. However, poor
households in rural communities, informal urban settlements and
low-income urban Townships still rely heavily on traditional fuels
to meet their basic energy needs. The majority of these households
are energy poor, as they tend to expend a higher proportion (>
10%) of their disposable income on energy services. The continued
use of traditional fuels is associated with health challenges
including asphyxiation, upper and lower respiratory complications,
and mortality. Notwithstanding the benefits of household
electrification in rural areas, there is a great need to consider other
cheaper alternative energy sources, as the cost of electricity tends
to limit its use. Household “energisation” instead of
“electrification” has the potential to provide households with
access to clean renewable energy sources at minimal cost.
Effective household energisation employs a systems approach
towards a more comprehensive energy access strategy of meeting
households’ energy needs using a suite of locally available
renewable energy carriers. Energy options available for rural
communities are assessed using a ‘systems thinking’ approach.