A planning paradigm for electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa : a case study of Tanzania
Name
890143006-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
10.84 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7d8470fefd29810ae634ee7bccc36a8c
Author(s)
Dimson, Sarah
Advisor(s)
Gabriella Carolini.
Date Issued
2014
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In Sub-Saharan Africa, a lack of clean electricity generation sources, poor electricity access and low levels of electricity consumption are profoundly stifling sustainable development. This thesis presents a specialized investigation, in context of Tanzania, of the primary paradigmatic approaches to electrification - centralized, large-scale grid systems conceived through least-cost-planning; and decentralized, small-scale off-grid systems administered through entrepreneurial pilots. My thesis offers a new paradigm, a mid-scale opportunistic and pluralistic planning paradigm, to address the dynamic economic, social, environmental and political issues that have constrained the efficacy of the extant approaches to electrification. The paradigm draws upon my investigative understanding of the critical theoretical threads that inform the complex fabric of electricity sector development - energy economics, social science, conceptualized and technical planning, and climate change theories. Additionally, the midscale opportunistic and pluralistic planning paradigm weaves in my practical understanding of the various resources that are currently available and can be leveraged to advance electrification, particularly for communities within isolated rural regions. Using Tanzania as a case study, the paradigm proposes a new way to think about and actualize a sustainable development path towards electrification in Sub-Saharan African countries that are experiencing rapid changes in macro and micro-economies, population demography and migration, and signs of climate change.
Description
Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 81-90).
Subjects
Urban Studies and Planning.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
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