TY - JOUR

T1 - Institutional arrangements and sustainable maintenance management of community-based mini-grids in Tanzania

AU - Ngoti, Irene F.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author

PY - 2024/9

Y1 - 2024/9

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Community energy governance

KW - Maintenance practices

KW - Operational sustainability

KW - Tanzania

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Environmental Governance

KW - Environmental planning

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195676996&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103632

DO - 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103632

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85195676996

VL - 115

JO - Energy Research and Social Science

JF - Energy Research and Social Science

SN - 2214-6296

M1 - 103632

ER -