The Role of Open Access Data in Geospatial Electrification Planning and the Achievement of SDG7. An OnSSET-Based Case Study for Malawi

Alexandros Korkovelos, Babak Khavari, Andreas Sahlberg, Mark Howells and Christopher Arderne
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Alexandros Korkovelos: Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Babak Khavari: Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Andreas Sahlberg: Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Mark Howells: Division of Energy System Analysis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Christopher Arderne: The World Bank Group, Washington, DC 20433, USA

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-36

Abstract: Achieving universal access to electricity is a development challenge many countries are currently battling with. The advancement of information technology has, among others, vastly improved the availability of geographic data and information. That, in turn, has had a considerable impact on tracking progress as well as better informing decision making in the field of electrification. This paper provides an overview of open access geospatial data and GIS based electrification models aiming to support SDG7, while discussing their role in answering difficult policy questions. Upon those, an updated version of the Open Source Spatial Electrification Toolkit (OnSSET-2018) is introduced and tested against the case study of Malawi. At a cost of $1.83 billion the baseline scenario indicates that off-grid PV is the least cost electrification option for 67.4% Malawians, while grid extension can connect about 32.6% of population in 2030. Sensitivity analysis however, indicates that the electricity demand projection determines significantly both the least cost technology mix and the investment required, with the latter ranging between $1.65–7.78 billion.

Keywords: open data; electrification modelling; Malawi; OnSSET (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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