Should Western renewable energy microgrids be exported to African islands? Exploring governance, village experiences, and sociotechnical challenges in Cape Verde

Abstract

The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty, has usually been studied via the correlation between resource endowment and specific economic variables. Moving away from a purely economic approach, the present article broadens the perspective of the analysis and contends that the key factor in the explanation of this paradox is the governance of natural resources. Given the specific characteristics of environmental governance, we propose that it be studied applying the analytical approach provided by adaptive governance and the postulates of post-normal science. The subject chosen for our research is an electrification project carried out in the Republic of Cape Verde, involving the building of a mini-solar-wind power plant in the village of Vale da Custa on the island of Santiago.The post-normal science framework sets out to provide methodological tools aimed not at the search for solutions (i.e., the search for the truth), but at broadening our knowledge of the processes of environmental governance through the assessment of quality. This, in fact, is the guiding principle of the analysis. For our study, we propose a novel combination of methodologies, bringing together socio-institutional analysis, the Pedigree scheme and social sensitivity analysis, in order to generate synergies and enrich our exploration of governance.The application of this methodology to the electrification project sheds light on the diversity of the difficulties facing initiatives of this kind: for instance, the lack of adaptation of the regulatory frameworks to the situation in the country, socio-cultural problems, the lack of technical training of the local population, and shortages in the supply of materials. It also provides valuable information on the multiplicity of stakeholders involved: political representatives at international, regional, national and local levels, the town's inhabitants, and the technical staff and experts in the field of renewable energies. All these actors have their own interests, objectives and resources, and also their own perspectives on the problem at hand, namely, the absence of an electricity supply system in Vale da Custa.The incorporation of participatory processes enriches the analysis and shows that improving governance in developing countries requires a consideration of the extended-peer community and a rejection of the traditional technocratic analysis. The study stresses the potential of quality assessment methodologies and their ability to shed light on the reality of countries like those in Sub-Saharan Africa.