Satellite Observations Reveal Inequalities in the Progress and Effectiveness of Recent Electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa

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dc.contributor.authorFalchetta, Giacomo
dc.contributor.authorPachauri, Shonali
dc.contributor.authorByers, Edward
dc.contributor.authorDanylo, Olha
dc.contributor.authorParkinson, Simon C.
dc.date.accessioned2020-05-25T13:43:45Z
dc.date.available2020-05-25T13:43:45Z
dc.date.copyright2020en_US
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractEnding energy poverty is a necessary condition for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Boosting electricity access levels is, however, insufficient if consumption and reliability indicators stagnate. Previous research has shown that satellite-derived data can complement field surveys in tracking energy poverty but with little consideration for the multi-dimensionality of energy access and the role of demographic dynamics. Here, we process 6 years of high-resolution population, nighttime light, and settlement data for sub-Saharan Africa to derive multi-dimensional estimates of electricity access. Our results, validated against a range of sources, confirm a recent surge in electrification such that >115 million people gained access over the 2014–2019 period. Yet, they reveal wide inequalities in the quality of electrification, which cannot be observed in the existing statistics. The pace of electrification must more than triple to fulfill SDG 7.1.1 by 2030. Efforts could fall short if aimed solely at boosting numbers of national electricity connections.en_US
dc.description.reviewstatusRevieweden_US
dc.description.scholarlevelFacultyen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipFinancial support from the MIUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research) and to Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei is gratefully acknowledged. The first author would like to thank the Energy Program of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis for the fruitful discussions.en_US
dc.identifier.citationFalchetta, G., Pachauri, S., Byers, E., Danylo, O., & Parkinson, S. C. (2020). Satellite Observations Reveal Inequalities in the Progress and Effectiveness of Recent Electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa. One Earth, 2(4), 364-379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wen.2020.03.007.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.03.007
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/11766
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherOne Earthen_US
dc.subjectelectricity access
dc.subjectenergy poverty
dc.subjectinequality
dc.subjectSDG tracking
dc.subjectremote sensing
dc.subjectsub-Saharan Africa
dc.subjectSDG 7: sustainable development
dc.subjectInstitute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic)
dc.titleSatellite Observations Reveal Inequalities in the Progress and Effectiveness of Recent Electrification in Sub-Saharan Africaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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