Clean Energy Sensitization
Background
Kasese district has a total of 140,697 households, of which, 90.5% depend on kerosene for lighting (WWF baseline report 2012). This is attributed to limited access to renewable energy technologies by households, institutions and entrepreneurs, due to limited supply, limited awareness, and high initial cost of acquiring the technologies. Subsequently, there is accelerated carbon dioxide emission leading to extreme weather conditions, high expenditures, poverty, and ill health. Women and children are the most affected.
In response to this situation, in the year 2012, Kasese district was selected as the renewable energy champion district of Uganda with a view to identify and pilot innovative and replicable approaches of achieving 100% access by 2030. This process led to the genesis of the Champion District Initiative (CDI) which brings together the local Government, CSOs and the private sector; and by the end of the year 2030, this initiative had increased access by only 12% (including energy-saving stoves, solar PV, and hydro electricity grid connections).
ARUD is one of the implementing partners of this CDI, and as part of this initiative, ARUD operates a renewable energy revolving scheme that supplies technology options (solar PV for Light and amp, phone charging and improved cook stoves) payable in 6-monthly installments. However, evaluation of this scheme in April 2015 revealed that:
1. Agrarian communities need a longer payment period (about 2years).
2. The demand is more than ARUD’s current supply capacity,
3. The district still had many areas at 0% access.
Challenge
Impact of ARUD’s Initiatives
The “Reducing Energy Poverty in Kasese District (REPKAD) Project has been implemented by ARUD. The project targeted 700 beneficiaries from off-grid communities within Kasese district, Western Uganda including households, institution, and businesses. This 18 months project was aimed at improving the livelihoods of off-grid communities and enhancing environmental sustainability by reducing energy poverty.The project involved establishment of a renewable energy revolving scheme that supplied solar PV systems under instalment payment systems with a 25% subsidy to beneficiaries within the 1st 12months of the project. The project also involved creating awareness on the benefits of using clean renewable energy (solar PV) and the dangers of Kerosen lamps on the environment, health and finances of people. In addition, the project documented and shared lessons and best practices for replication in other parts of the world.
Renewable energy officer ARUD in charge of cook stove assembling demonstrates the community on how to assemble a modern cook stove (Ceramic cook stove liner) during training on clean energy initiativetraining organized by Agency for Rural and Urban Development.
Volunteer Opportunities
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Community
Engagement
Currently, only about 26.1%1 of the households in Uganda have access to electricity and this means dependence on biomass energy for domestic use. The limited access to modern energy coupled with high levels of poverty incidence has resulted in over reliance on unsustainably produced biomass and use of rudimentary lighting and cooking technologies with serious implications on the environment and people.
The overall challenge in the renewable energy sector is limited access to sustainable and renewable energy alternatives which contributes to forest loss and degradation. Among other challenges we have limited production capacities (e.g. of biofuels), high cost of technologies, lack of appropriate regulations (e.g. for charcoal), increasing levels of uncertified products on the market, lack of credible service providers, limited research, lack of charcoal ordinances and bye-law sat District Local Government level and the overall informal sector scenario among others. Coupled with the above, is the weak capacity of Civil Society Organizations and networks to meaningfully engage government and other stakeholders on decisions and practices towards sustainable and renewable energy development.
Civil Society Organizations have limited Skills and tools for effective advocacy the development and adoption of policies, legislation and best practices by government and private sector. It is also clear that Civil Society Organizations do not have a common voice and convening power to ably hold government and renewable Energy industry players accountable for decisions and practices towards sustainable and renewable energy delivery. Going forward, this performance assessment report would serve as a tool for engagement, a joint voice from ARUD and a demonstration of the contribution of the ARUD to the development of the
renewable energy sector.