Energy Research and Social Science: Opportunities and Trade-Off’s

 

It is widely acknowledged that focusing on technology alone using predominantly hardware-oriented approaches does not solve the challenge of providing sustainable energy for all. Rather, incorporating wider socio-cultural ‘software’ approaches to explore the non-technical dimensions of energy access can provide greater understanding on what people use and why.  Despite this acknowledgment, however, there is still a heavy reliance on and desire for technocratic, quantitative solutions to address energy access. It begs a reflection of Schumacher when he wrote in 1973 “that whatever evidence of a new way of doing things may be provided, 'old dogs cannot learn new tricks'”.

 

The object of this presentation is twofold. First, how are the conceptual and methodological resources used by social scientists to investigate energy access translated across borders? Given that many of the methods used are largely focused in the Global North, how do researchers in the Global South interpret, modify and challenge these resources so that they are not only useful but also provide rich empirical data. Second, drawing on empirical evidence from across East, West and southern Africa, this presentation brings together interdisciplinary perspectives and explores the disparities that exist between energy technologies and user-based priorities. Attention is drawn to how spatial variations in cooking, lighting and charging practices (influenced by culture, socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, gender, location, complex exchange networks etc.) can have a significant influence on the acceptability, adoption and sustainability of various energy technologies.