Coronavirus response should secure gains in renewable energy

The emergence of the coronavirus has not only drawn the world’s attention to the need for equitable systems particularly in accessing healthcare but it has also made it clear that access to basic public utilities such as clean water, sanitation services, and energy cannot be ignored.

As countries in East Africa work towards flattening the curve by implementing directives such as staying at home, social distancing and observing hygiene, a majority of people living in informal settlements and rural areas are going to be adversely affected by the limited access to their day-to-day economical activities.

A large majority are poor relying on daily wages, the sale of agricultural produce or in the case of displaced communities, handouts for survival. This population segment predominantly cooks with biomass and also use traditional lighting technologies such as kerosene and candles. Access to these energy sources has been made even more challenging during these Covid-19 times. Energy plays a crucial role in the delivery of most essential social services such as health, education, water and sanitation.

Social distancing measures, though important, may be almost impossible to achieve in informal settlements and rural areas. How does one stay at home without electricity or Internet access for information? Many schools have resorted to digital learning to enable students to study from the safety of their homes. However, these innovative learning approaches are likely to exclude children from off-grid areas and informal urban settlements where electricity access is still limited. How do such communities keep their children still engaged in school activities, without electricity to power radios and televisions to access educational content? With the low wages earned, it is also impossible to purchase food in bulk or even store it, since cooling systems are not readily available. This continues to expose households to the danger of contracting the coronavirus disease as family members still have to source food and other basic necessities daily.

Cooking with firewood and charcoal and lighting with kerosene predispose people especially women and children to indoor air pollution with direct impacts on respiratory health. Due to already compromised respiratory systems, this population is likely to be at a greater risk of experiencing severe impacts if infected by Covid-19.

Unfortunately, the health facilities available to these underserved communities are compromised. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in four health facilities in Africa has no access to electricity and only 28 percent of health facilities and 34 percent of hospitals have what could be called “reliable” access to electricity. Providing essential health services will therefore be a challenge in energy access constrained settings that are found in many parts of East Africa.

With these realities in mind, stakeholders should continue to prioritise access to energy in their Covid-19 response approach by powering health systems in underserved communities while sustaining support to increase access to electricity and clean cooking solutions as a way of fighting the virus. Behaviour change communication promote good hygiene practices as well as incorporate messaging on the importance of clean cooking and lighting technologies and their positive impacts on respiratory health.

Decentralised renewable energy (DRE) systems such as solar home systems, clean cook stoves and mini-grids have been proven to provide quick wins in increasing access to energy. In many of the remote places in sub-Saharan Africa DRE systems have been proven to be the least-cost options for delivering energy services to remote communities. Their use also supports the reduction in carbon emissions therefore sustaining the climate change agenda.

Energy access will also be crucial in a post Covid-19 era with governments focusing on economic recovery efforts. In particular, promoting productive use of energy will create new opportunities for local economic development through employment and income generating opportunities that will help to lift people out of the looming economic down turn.

This will need to be coupled with increasing access to digital learning programmes to support rural entrepreneurs, educational institutions and community members to adopt to what may well be the norm in the foreseeable future.

With the calls to Kenyan water and electricity utility companies to waive fees in light of expected tough economic times, the public sector could prioritise support to DRE system providers to ensure that they are able to continue providing services to all including the vulnerable groups in their areas and to consumers to enable them to continue making regular payments to their energy service providers, mainly private sector mini-grid companies and pay as you go solar home system operators.

In the midst of the crisis that has been occasioned by the pandemic there is need for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to ensure the gains realised in the renewable energy sector are not compromised.

For instance, The Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 2020 seeks to re-introduce a uniform VAT across the board which will lead to an increase in the prices of LPG, cook stoves and solar home systems that the sector had previously lobbied so hard to have zero-rated. If implemented, it will trigger an immediate increase in prices, aggravating the vulnerability of Kenyans in general and off grid communities in particular.

Temba is Energy Advisor, Practical Action Consulting