A geospatial framework for electrification planning in developing countries

2017-10-01 · 6 citations

In efforts to achieve universal electricity access, geospatial factors, particularly the distribution of populated places and other electricity demands, are fundamentally important in determining the relative costs of competing grid, mini-grid or home system electrification options. Research presented here goes beyond broad metrics such as population density to instead consider patterns of aggregation and distances between communities to produce geographically specific cost estimates for medium and low voltage line. This analysis considers these factors at two geographic scales. First, it presents localized investigations of several rural locations in sub-Saharan Africa, at the scale of tens of kilometers, using household-level location data from GPS surveying and high-resolution satellite imagery. This work resulted in broad classification of village landscapes and suggested cost-effective electrification with different technologies depending upon inter-community and inter-household distances as proxies for medium and low voltage line lengths. Second, the analysis draws upon larger scale planning studies and data, at the scale of thousands of kilometers, in developing countries targeting electricity access for millions or tens of millions of unserved households, relying on coarser geospatial population datasets. A key observation of this analysis relates to the manner in which electrification planning can respond to cost tradeoffs between grid and non-grid electrification options in areas with different settlement patterns.

Potential for regional use of East Africa’s natural gas

Applied Energy · 2015-02-04 · 47 citations

Geography of Infrastructure Functionality at Schools in Nigeria: Evidence From Spatial Data Analysis Across Local Government Areas

Papers in Applied Geography · 2015-04-03 · 11 citations

Is functionality of electricity, sanitation and water infrastructure at schools unequally distributed geographically in Nigeria? Are there significant disparities in infrastructure functionality between Northern and Southern geopolitical zones in the country as has been posited in previous studies? In this study, we answer these questions with an examination of functionality at schools, with metrics for functionality aggregated at the smallest administrative unit available in the country, the local government area (LGA). We employ spatial statistical techniques to examine the spatial autocorrelation of power, sanitation and water (or ‘infrastructure’) non-functionality across 68,627 schools for 764 of 774 local government areas in Nigeria using a novel survey dataset courtesy of Nigeria's Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals. We find evidence for the existence of LGA clusters of infrastructure non-functionality, aligned along Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. The results also reveal a significant cluster of LGAs in the Northwest zone, the zone with the highest income-based poverty rate (70%) in the country, outperforming LGAs in both other Northern and some Southern zones on all functionality indicators. The results hold up to multiple testing correction, controlling the false discovery rate using the Benjamini-Hochberg method. These results highlight the need for a spatially targeted policy approach, at finer spatial scales, to poverty reduction efforts through infrastructure access expansion in the country.

The economics of clean energy resource development and grid interconnection in Africa

Renewable Energy · 2013-09-12 · 59 citations

Lead exposure from soil in Peruvian mining towns: a national assessment supported by two contrasting examples

Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2012-10-10 · 56 citations

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the population of Peru living in the vicinity of active or former mining operations that could be exposed to lead from contaminated soil. METHODS: Geographic coordinates were compiled for 113 active mines, 138 ore processing plants and 3 smelters, as well as 7743 former mining sites. The population living within 5 km of these sites was calculated from census data for 2000. In addition, the lead content of soil in the historic mining town of Cerro de Pasco and around a recent mine and ore processing plant near the city of Huaral was mapped in 2009 using a hand-held X-ray fluorescence analyser. FINDINGS: Spatial analysis indicated that 1.6 million people in Peru could be living within 5 km of an active or former mining operation. Two thirds of the population potentially exposed was accounted for by 29 clusters of mining operations, each with a population of over 10 000 each. These clusters included 112 active and 3438 former mining operations. Soil lead levels exceeded 1200 mg/kg, a reference standard for residential soil, in 35 of 74 sites tested in Cerro de Pasco but in only 4 of 47 sites tested around the newer operations near Huaral. CONCLUSION: Soil contamination with lead is likely to be extensive in Peruvian mining towns but the level of contamination is spatially far from uniform. Childhood exposure by soil ingestion could be substantially reduced by mapping soil lead levels, making this information public and encouraging local communities to isolate contaminated areas from children.

Lead Exposure from Soil in Peruvian Mining Towns: A National Assessment Supported by Two Contrasting examples/Exposition Au Plomb Dans le Sol Des Villes Minieres Du Perou: Une Evaluation Nationale Soutenue Par Deux Exemples contrastes/La Exposicion Al Plomo En El Suelo En Los Pueblos Mineros Peruanos: Una Evaluation Nacional Respaldada Por la Comparacion Entre Dos Ejemplos

Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2012-12-01

Introduction Children and adults are still routinely exposed to very high levels of lead in developing countries, particularly in regions with a long mining history, such as the Andes. (1-4) This study focuses on Peru, which ranks among the world's top five producers of silver, zinc, lead and copper (5) and has a long and conflict-ridden mining history. (6) Exposure to lead in this country may have been prolonged, despite some widely publicized and severe cases, (7) by the importance of the revenue generated by the mining industry, weak regulation, a lack of information about contamination and a perception that the cost of interventions might be prohibitive. The premise of this study is that many, perhaps most, egregious cases of mining-related childhood lead exposure in Peru, and similarly affected countries in South America and Africa, could be avoided at a relatively modest cost by systematically mapping hot spots for lead in soil in mining towns where ore is currently processed or has been processed in the past. Interventions carried out around mines, ore processing plants and smelters in other parts of the world have already been shown to reduce dramatically childhood exposure to lead. (8-11) The exploitation of metal-rich deposits in the Andes dates from pre-colonial times. (12) Then, the focus was on silver, as it was during the Spanish colonial era. The extensive use of mercury to extract silver through the process of amalgamation undoubtedly had a substantial, albeit localized, impact on the health of workers. (13,14) Potentially just as important, however, especially when their cumulative effect is considered, could be the health impact of the mine tailings left over once the most concentrated ore has been separated. These tailing are enriched in lead and were generated over centuries of mining silver, copper, zinc and lead deposits throughout the region. Today when a new mine enters into operation, the mining company attempts to minimize the risk of exposure by purchasing surrounding tracts of land. In the past, however, population centres typically became established near a mine and dwellings were built on top of mine tailings. (15) In such places, even today it is still common for children to ingest large quantities of lead by playing in contaminated soil or ingesting lead-laden dust at home. (10,16-19) Currently, Peru has no standard for the lead content of soil. The assumption underlying this study is that lead contamination of soil is heterogeneously distributed and, consequently, the level of contamination within a few kilometres of one mining-related operation can differ greatly from that close to another. If suitable maps were made available locally, young children, who are especially at risk of ingesting soil when playing, could be induced to avoid the most contaminated areas. (20) Our aim was to evaluate the potential benefits of such an intervention on a national scale by carrying out a spatial analysis of mining operations in Peru in relation to population density. To the best of our knowledge, no similar study has previously been carried out. In addition, we performed surveys of the local distribution of lead in soil at two locations to illustrate low- and high-risk scenarios. The study focused on lead contamination linked to the exploitation of deposits of polymetallic ore, including gold-containing ore, and therefore excluded contamination associated with cement production and other extractive activities, which could also have a substantial effect on health. Methods We obtained the geographical coordinates of 7997 sites involved in four types of activity associated with mining: (i) 113 industrial-scale mines in operation in 2009; (ii) 138 ore processing plants; (iii) 3 smelters; and (iv) 7743 legacies of past mining activities. Since none of the existing data compilations was exhaustive, the information was drawn from several sources (Appendix A, available at: http:// www. …

Report on species elimination and establishment trials at high and mid altitude area in the eastern hills of Nepal.

1996-11-30

Interim report on silvicultural research trials.

1993-01-01 · 1 citations

Fodder research and development activities at Pakhribas Agricultural Centre.

1990-01-01 · 1 citations

Traditional agriculture and resource use under pressure: scope for agroforestry intervention in the Middle Hills of Nepal

1989-04-05