Sustainable Rural Electrification Project Management: An Analysis of Three Case Studies

Laura Del-Río-Carazo, Emiliano Acquila-Natale, Santiago Iglesias-Pradas and Ángel Hernández-García
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Laura Del-Río-Carazo: Departamento de Ingeniería de Organización, Administración de Empresas y Estadística, ETSI de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Av. Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Emiliano Acquila-Natale: Departamento de Ingeniería de Organización, Administración de Empresas y Estadística, ETSI de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Av. Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Santiago Iglesias-Pradas: Departamento de Ingeniería de Organización, Administración de Empresas y Estadística, ETSI de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Av. Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Ángel Hernández-García: Departamento de Ingeniería de Organización, Administración de Empresas y Estadística, ETSI de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Av. Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: Universal access to energy is a global challenge for sustainable development that requires granting last-mile access to energy services to rural and isolated communities. However, achieving access is not sufficient: it must be done affordably, reliably and with an adequate quality. Universal access to energy goes beyond the mere selection of a technical solution or infrastructure; it demands being able to design management models for projects aiming to guarantee that households may access energy services in a sustainable way. This study analyzes the main elements (i.e., governance, technological and business models) of management models in universal access to energy projects and their impact on the different dimensions of sustainability (i.e., social, environmental, and economic). The study then presents three case studies of rural electrification projects having different configurations of the management model, with special focus on the differences in the business model, and it analyzes their outcomes from a sustainability perspective. The analysis of the three case studies suggests that the choice of the business model is key to ensuring sustainability, with fee-for-service models giving the best results. The analysis also highlights the importance of collaboration and involvement of the communities in projects engaging multiple agents with different roles.

Keywords: management model; rural electrification; sustainability; governance; technology; business model (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: 2022
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