Student: Kori Groenveld
Graduation date: May 2018
Type: Concentration (single major)
Date approved: November 2015
Go to concentration landing page
Summary
The World Bank classifies 47 % of the global urban population and 5.8 billion people in the world as “low and middle income”. These people are part of developing economies in which their income, life expectancy, education completion rates, and carbon emissions are rising rapidly (Bradshaw et al. 2010). The types of energies used to develop these economies is incredibly important, as it will not only affect the quality of lives of billions of people and the trajectory of their economies and cultures, but also greatly influence the fate of our global climate. There are several main beliefs as to what kinds of energy should be used. Some argue that, in order to preserve the global climate, developing economies should “increase domestic energy use from renewable sources to replace fossil fuel imports”, as these imports lead to “to significant balance-of-trade and national-security challenges” (Asafu-Adjaye et al. 2013, Chu et al. 2012 respectively). Others argue that renewables “are unlikely on their own to meet the energy demands of those struggling to escape poverty in the developing world, let alone the full needs of modern society” (Pritzker 2014) and that “that lack of electricity and liquid or gas fuels will deprive entire populations of access to better living conditions and lead to even more deforestation and land degradation in many countries (Goldemberg 1995). Thus, developing economies should use fossil fuels and other developed energy systems, in order to ensure that the energy needs of low-income countries are suitably met (Asafu-Adjaye et al. 2015). Some also question the validity of renewable resources based on their physical effects on both local ecosystems and climate change as a whole (Evans et al. 2009). For example, hydropower, a non-combustion based energy generation technology, is arguably not renewable due to its land use, wildlife impacts, and life-cycle global warming emissions (Electricity from Renewable Resources 2010). There are also those who believe that a mix of both fossil fuels and renewables are the best solution, so long as “projects are intelligently designed and carefully planned with local input and cooperation” (Demirbas et al. 2007).
The types of energy systems implemented in countries are influenced by “a ‘natural’ variety in institutional conditions, networks, actor strategies and resources across space” (Coenen et al. 2012). These include the immediate geographical context and the natural resources of the state in addition to foreign investment, the state of the economy, land requirements, price of the energy generation unit in that particular place, water consumption, and many other factors. Energy systems in low-income countries often develop “in response to immediate economic opportunity, or in response to a government mandate or subsidy intended to catalyze economic growth” (Zvoleff et al. 2009). In El Salvador, for example, a country that originally had scattered, minimal access to electricity, the government built a coal and oil based electric grid several years ago, which fueled economic growth and improved education (Kenny 2015). Costa Rica, with socioeconomic conditions similar to El Salvador but different geographical assets, recently illustrated the power of natural resources through having “powered itself for 75 days using only renewable energy… but more than 80 percent of that power came from dams”, an asset that is only possible in countries with suitable geographic conditions and can pose significant harm to the immediate surroundings as mentioned above (Kenny 2015). Kenya, on the other end of the spectrum, illustrates the power of foreign investment. Google is funding a 2$ billion wind powered project in northern Kenya, a country with low energy infrastructure, lots of room for development, geographical conditions conducive to wind power, and a market of people of interest to Google, in order to ensure that “[individuals] and small business who will be coming online and using Google” will “be able to access our products and services through electricity that is not only clean but economic”, says one of Google’s director of energy and sustainability, Rick Neeham (Metz 2015).
There are many actors in this conversation: local communities, private companies, natural resources, the preferences of governments, international lending agencies, the economy of the state, etc. Each of these influences energy systems in low-income countries in different ways at different times. I am not sure which kind of energy systems should be or will be used, as this problem involves many different arguments and perspectives, but I look forward to gaining a greater understanding of this issue as my concentration progresses.
Asafu-Adjaye, John, et al. 2015. “An Ecomodernist Manifesto.” September 20.
Bradshaw, Corey, et al., May 3, 2010. “Evaluating the Relative Environmental Impact of Countries,” Plus One.
Chu, Steven, and Arun Majumdar. 2012. “Opportunities and Challenges for a Sustainable Energy Future.” Nature 488 (7411): 294–303. doi:10.1038/nature11475.
Coenen, Lars, Paul Benneworth, and Bernhard Truffer. 2012. “Toward a Spatial Perspective on Sustainability Transitions.” Research Policy, Special Section on Sustainability Transitions, 41 (6): 968–79. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2012.02.014.
Demirbas, Ayse Hilal, and Imren Demirbas. 2007. “Importance of Rural Bioenergy for Developing Countries.” Energy Conversion and Management 48 (8): 2386–98. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2007.03.005.
Electricity from Renewable Resources: Status, Prospects, and Impediments. 2010. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12619.
Evans, Annette, Vladimir Strezov, and Tim J. Evans. 2009. “Assessment of Sustainability Indicators for Renewable Energy Technologies.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 13 (5): 1082–88. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2008.03.008.
Goldemberg, Jose. 1995. “Energy Needs in Developing Countries and Sustainability.” Science 269 (5227): 1058.
Kenny, Charles. 2015. “If Everyone Gets Electricity, Can the Planet Survive?” The Atlantic. October 20.
Metz, Cade. 2015. “Google Pumps Funds Into Africa’s Biggest Wind Power Project.” WIRED. October 20. http://www.wired.com/2015/10/google-pumps-2b-into-africas-biggest-wind-power-project/.
Pritzker, Rachel. December 2014. “The Case for Energy Abundance.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. October 12.
Zvoleff, Alex, Ayse Selin Kocaman, Woonghee Tim Huh, and Vijay Modi. 2009. “The Impact of Geography on Energy Infrastructure Costs.” Energy Policy, Carbon in Motion: Fuel Economy, Vehicle Use, and Other Factors affecting CO2 Emissions From Transport, 37 (10): 4066–78. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2009.05.006.
Questions
- Descriptive: What are the types and usages of energy in low-income countries? What choices are currently being made regarding energy in low-income countries and who is making these choices? How has energy use and energy type in low-income countries developed in the past and how is it predicted to change in the future?
- Explanatory: To what extent does the type of energy used affect economic or social development in low-income countries? Who are the different players and what are the different factors that affect the types of energy used in low-income countries? Who will determine or fund what type/types of energy systems are used?
- Evaluative: What climate and socioeconomic costs or benefits will arise from the utilization of different types/combinations of energy systems? To what extent will decisions regarding type of energies used in low-income countries affect energy use in high-income countries? How will energy decisions affect the rate of economic development in low-income countries?
- Instrumental: Based on answers to the complexities above, what kinds of energy should be used to fuel development in low-income countries? How should local communities, domestic governments, and foreign governments and coalitions work together to determine which types of energies will be used? How do we prioritize climate change or environmental justice? Ex. should low-income countries reduce their energy consumption in order to pay for climate change caused primarily by high-income countries?
Concentration courses
- ENVS 460 (Environmental Law & Policy, 4 credits), Fall 2015. Illuminates how the US determines its highly influential policy decisions.
- ENVS 244 (ENVS Web Intern, 2 credits) Fall 2015. This internship will allow me to read, analyze, and publish literature on my concentration.
- ECON 232 (Economic Development, 4 credits) Fall 2016. This course would help me understand the problems of less-developed countries and strategies for development, help me understand how different energies will develop in relation to economic development.
- IA 340 (International Political Economy, 4 credits) Fall 2017. This course would help me gain a better understanding of how both political and economic factors affect the development of energy systems in peripheral countries.
- SOAN 265 (Critical Perspectives on Development, 4 credits) Spring 2016. This course would help me understand the different influences and perspectives in determining energy systems in low-income/developing countries.
- CHEM 100 (Environmental Chemistry, 4 credits) Spring 2016. This course would help me get a better grasp on the scientific explanations behind different energy systems, a decisive factor in my concentration.
Arts and humanities courses
- HIST 261 (Global Environmental History, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.