Abstract
Energy services are essential for the protection of basic human rights and dignity. Since 2014, energy issues have been incorporated in United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees global protection strategies. Off-grid solar photovoltaics power solutions can now provide cost-effective clean electricity in camps comprised large populations of displaced peoples, internally displaced and/or refugees. Through microgrid modelling and risk analysis, we outline business models that could provide affordable and appropriate energy to displaced communities. Our proposed PV microgrid build-own-operate business models for camps of displaced populations consider providing household demands, institutional demands, and a combination of the two. We find that sustainable energy services can be provided to humanitarian agencies to power their compounds and community services such as health clinics and administrative centres. A fixed tariff of US$ 1 /kWh is viable provided: the local fuel prices are greater than US$ 0.6 /L at the point of use, and the capital costs of a backup or existing diesel generator are already covered. A fixed price tariff, mitigates running costs for humanitarian agencies. In addition, by leveraging the institutional energy demands, basic electricity services to up to 500 households for mobile phone charging and lighting could be provided for a monthly tariff of US$ 1.5 per household, which is favourable compared to the estimated of US$ 4 monthly cost of kerosene for a typical refugee household. The solutions we propose will reduce costs and improve the sustainability of humanitarian operations while achieving the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees goals by providing electricity to displaced persons for lighting and communications.
Highlights
At the end of 2014, 59.5 million people were considered forcibly displaced worldwide because of persecution, conflict and/or human rights violations (UNHCR, 2015a)
This paper investigates the potential provision of electricity from photovoltaic (PV) microgrids to address the JEonugrinaelerosf WHiutmhoauntitBaorriadnerEsnAguisnterearlinag, 2017
To identify the minimum set of common services in internally displaced people (IDP)/refugee camps around which PV microgrid BOO business models can be standardised the reference utilised as part of this research is a camp sector or a small sized camp, designed for 5,000 inhabitants or 1,000 households (Corsellis and Vitale, 2005, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR), 2015b, Section: Camp planning standards)
Summary
At the end of 2014, 59.5 million people were considered forcibly displaced worldwide because of persecution, conflict and/or human rights violations (UNHCR, 2015a). Energy services are essential for the protection of basic human rights and dignity (Grafham et al, 2016). Large numbers of people living in refugee camps or camps for internally displaced people (IDP) lack access to basic electricity services. The absence of electricity access at the household or community level (Gunning, 2014) causes significant distress (Grafham et al, 2016). Since 2014, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) global strategy for Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) has focused on the humanitarian energy response (UNHCR, 2014). This paper investigates the potential provision of electricity from photovoltaic (PV) microgrids to address the JEonugrinaelerosf WHiutmhoauntitBaorriadnerEsnAguisnterearlinag, 2017
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