Institutional arrangements and sustainable maintenance management of community-based mini-grids in Tanzania

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

  • Irene F. Ngoti

This article presents empirical research on the maintenance management model for containerised solar community-based mini-grids and corresponding institutional arrangements. It employs Agrawal's (2001) “institutional arrangements” subset of enabling conditions and examines its applicability in explaining the sustainability of maintenance management of community mini-grids. The paper analyses and synthesises distinctive sustainability experiences from two solar community mini-grids in Tanzania. Using data from 18 semi-structured interviews with village energy committee members, electricity users, technicians and local leaders, the paper explicates a maintenance management model practised in the two mini-grids. The paper further presents institutional arrangements assessment for the maintenance management of the two mini-grids and analyses how rules, sanctions and accountability for community mini-grids maintenance affect the corresponding maintenance sustainability outcomes. The study found reactive maintenance to be a dominant maintenance strategy and is complemented by insufficient balances in the mini-grids' maintenance funds. Proper enforcement of maintenance rules, implementation of arranged graduated sanctions, and presence of low-cost adjudication coupled with the accountability of mini-grid leaders can potentially enhance the maintenance sustainability of community mini-grids. The paper concludes that, institutional arrangements for communally owned mini-grids need a collective interactive approach among local users for sustainable mini-grids maintenance.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer103632
ZeitschriftEnergy Research and Social Science
Jahrgang115
Anzahl der Seiten10
ISSN2214-6296
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 09.2024

Bibliographische Notiz

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author

DOI