Evidence of adaptation, mitigation, and development co-benefits of solar mini-grids in rural Ghana

Abstract

The deployment of renewable energy can potentially offer co-benefits for rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa. However, empirical studies identifying the linkages between adaptation, mitigation, and development co-benefits of renewable energy in the region are scarce in the academic literature. This article provides evidence of adaptation, mitigation, and development co-benefits of solar mini-grids to rural Ghanaian islands. Drawing on climate compatible development framework, the study applied surveys to identify solar mini-grids' benefits. The results show that solar minigrids have delivered co-benefits to the rural islanders. The co-benefits include mediated impacts of heatwaves through use of fans, reduced harmful gases from excessive burning of wood, and reduced social vices at night. We conclude that a full recognition of broad array of co-benefits of solar mini-grids can stimulate interests in their deployment and accelerate the transition to clean energy in the region. We thus argue for continuous research in the region to identify the full range of solar mini-grid co-benefits, which may provide a new landscape for addressing climate change and development concurrently in sub-Saharan Africa.