A Capabilities-Led Approach to Assessing Technological Solutions for a Rural Community

Xinfang Wang, Rosie Day, Dan Murrant, Antonio Diego Marín, David Castrejón Botello, Francisco López González and Jonathan Radcliffe
Additional contact information
Xinfang Wang: School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Rosie Day: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Dan Murrant: Energy Systems Catapult, Birmingham B4 6BS, UK
Antonio Diego Marín: Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias (INEEL), Reforma 113, Palmira, 62490 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
David Castrejón Botello: Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias (INEEL), Reforma 113, Palmira, 62490 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Francisco López González: Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias (INEEL), Reforma 113, Palmira, 62490 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Jonathan Radcliffe: School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-21

Abstract: To improve access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy in rural areas of the global south, off-grid systems using renewable generation and energy storage are often proposed. However, solution design is often technology-driven, with insufficient consideration of social and cultural contexts. This leads to a risk of unintended consequences and inappropriate systems that do not meet local needs. To address this problem, this paper describes the application of a capabilities-led approach to understanding a community’s multi-dimensional energy poverty and assessing their needs as they see them, in order to better design suitable technological interventions. Data were collected in Tlamacazapa, Mexico, through site visits and focus groups with men and women. These revealed the ways in which constrained energy services undermined essential capabilities, including relating to health, safety, relationships and earning a living, and highlighted the specific ways in which improved energy services, such as lighting, cooking and mechanical power could improve capabilities in the specific context of Tlamacazapa. Based on these findings, we propose some potential technological interventions to address these needs. The case study offers an illustration of an assessment method that could be deployed in a variety of contexts to inform the design of appropriate technological interventions.

Keywords: capabilities approach; wellbeing; energy services; energy storage; solar; renewable energy; energy poverty; Mexico (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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