Energy supply in Namibia - Rural needs and possible sustainable solutions

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Title

Energy supply in Namibia - Rural needs and possible sustainable solutions

Description

M.A. Thesis: KTH the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, (Machine Design) - "There are many factors creating difficulties with the electrification of Namibia. For instance, the country is very sparsely populated, and the inhabitants seldom have the money to pay for using the power-grid. 60 percent of the population has no access to electricity which could restrict the country’s development. The areas studied where how they cook food and illuminate their households. Both a qualitative and a quantitative analysis were made by interviews, observations and questionnaires. Two different types of households were included in the study; the traditional homestead and the township. These households are very different, but the people living in them have similar procedures for acquiring light and cooking food due to what they have in common – lack of electricity. All of the interviewees cooked their food over open fire and used wood as fuel. Wood can either be bought at the market, from friends or be collected from the surroundings. This is despite the fact that cutting down forest is regulated by law, and can result in fines. Candles and paraffin lamps are used for lighting. The importance of a thorough requirement analysis became clear during the field study. The product developer´s understanding of the current way of living in Namibia has to be the foundation for future product development projects in the area. To solve the problems of today, products need to be created with the user in focus, and the knowledge about consequences of today’s actions have to communicated to the population in a better way. It is also important to make sure that the knowledge about manufacturing and repair stays in the country to extend the product’s lifetime."

Creator

Jannicke Bjurselius, Heléne Ernow

Source

http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:542827/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Publisher

KTH the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden,

Date

2009

Format

PDF

Language

English

Files

http://namibia.leadr.msu.edu/files/original/27b4b6c583c3eba8fd82a745a8413f17.pdf

Citation

Jannicke Bjurselius, Heléne Ernow, “Energy supply in Namibia - Rural needs and possible sustainable solutions,” Namibia Digital Repository, accessed March 28, 2024, https://namibiadigitalrepository.com/items/show/274.

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