situation analysis of the energy status of institutions ... analysis of the energy status of...

INTRODUCTIONAccess to energy is fundamental toimproving the quality of life and is a keyimperative to the development ofchildren. Lack of access to energyservices dramatically affects andundermines health, limits opportunitiesfor education and development andcan reduce a family’s potential to riseout of poverty. Access to energy forcooking is important for children’snutrition and disease prevention andthe choice of energy for cooking alsodetermines the frequency andadequacy of meal preparation ofhouseholds. Most rural householdsusually use fuel wood in kitchenswithout proper ventilation and/orimproved stoves where children mayspend long hours making themvulnerable to indoor air pollution andits impacts. The choice of energy forlighting, cooking and space-heating

has a bearing on the vulnerability of children to respiratory related diseases; eye diseases as well asrisks to burns. Dirty energy sources, particularly fuel wood, are also likely to trigger asthmaticconditions among children.

In Zimbabwe, access to electricity is low with 40 per cent of the population having access to electricity.There are huge disparities between rural and urban areas with 83 per cent of urban households beingconnected to electricity compared to 13 per cent in rural areas. Rural communities get 94 per cent oftheir energy requirements from traditional fuels, mainly fuel wood. Children are severely affected bythe lack of access to electrical energy with 59 per cent of primary schools and 39.5 per cent ofsecondary schools lacking access.

These challenges can however be overcome by promoting use of alternative technologies such assolar, micro-hydro, biogas and biomass as enounced in Zimbabwe’s National Energy Policy. The keyquestion is to what extent are these policies sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the children inZimbabwe and in what ways will they enable the transition to cleaner energy in urban and rural areas?

The Sustainable Energy for Children Study was aimed at understanding the children’s access to energyin the households (where they live) and in the institutions which support their well-being such asschools (where they spend most of the day) and clinics (which support their health).

The conceptual framework used in the study recognizes that energy has multiple uses that includelighting; cooking and water heating; cooling of food, medicines and other supplies; space cooling and

Sustainable Energy for Childrenaiiinnnable Energy for ChildPOLICY BRIEF

Situation Analysis of the energy status of institutions that support children in five districts of Zimbabwe

ZIMBABWE

Policy Brief_Sustainable Energy for Children_FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 26/9/2016 10:12

2Situational Analysis of the Energy Status of Institutions that Support Children in Five Districts of Zimbabwe

heating; as well as information and communication. Lack of access to energy can leadto child deprivations such as:

l lack of adequate and properly prepared food and limited choice of what tocook resulting in nutrition deprivation;

l inadequate light to read at night leading to poor education;

l limited access to information thus leading to deprivation of information,communication and education; and

l lack of access to pumped water and sanitation especially at school.

It also recognizes that sustainability is affected by the supply and demand sides; theenvironment as well as affordability; and is impacted by the energy policies pertainingin the country.

The conceptual framework was used to assist in answering the following questions:

l What is the current energy poverty status of households, schools and clinics?

l What is their energy mix and how sustainable is it?

l Does the energy mix include renewable/sustainable energy?

l How does the energy status affect children?

l What are the barriers/opportunities to adoption of renewable energy?

l What is the best energy mix option and how can we introduce innovativesolutions to make it sustainable?

The study was carried out in five districts of Zimbabwe namely Chiredzi, Gutu,Hurungwe, Nyanga and Tsholotsho using both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Policy Brief - Sustainable Energy for Children in Zimbabwe

Hurungwe

Nyanga

Gutu

Chiredzi

Tsholotsho

200 0 200 400 600 Kilometers

N

Sampled Districts

Selected Districts

Legend

Sampled Districts



Questionnaires were administered to 1,547 household heads and 751 children in a schoolsetting. The school questionnaires were specially designed for children in primary day,secondary day and boarding schools. This enabled children to participate and inputinto possible solutions to their energy problems. The children’s questionnaire also aimedto ascertain their knowledge of different types of energy.

Qualitative methods included focus group discussions with community people, mothersat health institutions, school teachers and with school children. Key informant interviewswere conducted with district and community leaders as well as staff at schools andclinics and suppliers of energy.

Technical energy audits were carried out at 16 primary and 15 secondary schools; 18clinics and 93 households. The audits identified and quantified the energy mixes beingused by the institutions and households; shortfalls of the energy required; resourcesavailable for alternative energy; cost of the alternatives; and ability of the institutionsto invest in alternative energy.

KEY FINDINGSEnergy Deprivation

The study found that energy poverty is widespread in households and public institutionsthat serve children. Overall the sampled households were generally very energy poorwith above 90 per cent not having adequate energy for lighting, cooking, cooling andspace heating. The households had better access to energy for information andcommunication with 48 per cent and only 13 per cent deprivation, respectively.

l Lighting: According to the children in the sample, the main sources of energyfor household lighting were home-made paraffin lamps, candles, fuel wood,Electricity (ZESA) and solar.


0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Paraffin/Diesel Lamp

Candles

Firewood

Electricity (ZESA)

Solar

Ba ery

Inverter

LP Gas Lamp

Generator

Other

Propor�on (%)

M

Main energy sources for lighting - responses from children



l Children were consideredto be deprived of energyfor lighting, if theirhousehold and/or schooldid not have electricity;or if they had less than 4 hours of light incircumstances wherethey were using solar or generator poweredlighting at night. House-holds using other sourcesof lighting such as candles, torches, paraffin lamps were deprived of energy asthe lighting systems did not provide enough lumens (300) considered as thethreshold light for a normal room. Availability of light in the main sitting roomwas used as the indicator of the household’s access to energy for lighting.

l Results from the household and day scholar children’s questionnaire survey ontheir light deprivation status were similar at 91 and 95 per cent, respectively,thus showing that the children were not getting adequate lighting at home.Furthermore the majority of children who had access to clean energy sourcesof light, including main grid electricity, had access to less than four hours oflight during the night.

Common quotes from focus group discussions were:

“Children generally have light for a short period of time in the evening, only to beable to see where to sleep.” Parent from Nyanga.

“In my household light is only available for the children to make their beds beforethey sleep.” FGD, community, Hurungwe.

Cooking and Water Heating: Two aspects, the type of cooking fuel used and itspollution/risk factor/exposure were considered to determine the energy status of ahousehold or institution, where it was considered energy poor if it used any fuel otherthan electricity, liquefied petroleum gas, paraffin, natural gas or biogas. The householdmembers and children were considered at risk if cooking was done using an un-improved stove on an open fire with no chimney.

l Almost all sampled households (about 98 per cent) used fuel wood as the mainenergy source for cooking and heating of water with less than two per centusing grid electricity and 0.13 per cent crop residues. Hence biomass is likelyto remain the predominant fuel for cooking for rural households for theforeseeable future as even households with access to the main grid electricitywere also using fuel wood as their main source of energy for cooking.

l Children were tasked with fetching fuel wood in more than 50 per cent of thesurveyed households and walked an average of 2 hours 20 minutes to collectfuel wood. This exposes them to risks such as attack by animals and abuse byhumans. Furthermore they often carry heavy loads that may impair childdevelopment.

l The majority of sample households were using either a three stone or a Mbarestove which both use open fire and are inefficient systems. A small proportionwas using improved fuel wood stoves that included tsotso, jengetahuni and thechingwa stoves. Improved cook stoves use less fuel wood thus abatingdeforestation and may also reduce air pollution.





l Results of the Sustainable Energy for Children Study show that there was a highproportion of children with chest problems (acute respiratory infections, asthmaand tuberculosis) as well as eye diseases although the cause and effect was notascertained.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Chiredzi Gutu Hurungwe Tsholotsho Nyanga Total

Prop

or�o

n of

dis

tric

t sam

ple

hous

ehol

ds

Three stone stove Mbare stoveTsotso stove Improved mud stoveJengetahuni Tradi onal mud stove

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Boys

Girls

Unde

r 5

Boys

Girls

Unde

r 5

Boys

Girls

Unde

r 5

Boys

Girls

Unde

r 5

Boys

Girls

Unde

r 5

ARI Asthma TB Eye diseases Burns

Num

ber o

f Chi

ldre

n

Disease

Not Deprived Deprived

The Health impacts of children by gender and age possibly contributed to bypoor energy sources for lighting and cooking

Household energy mix for cooking

Heating: Not owning and using a modern heater or using a traditional heater such asan open fire for space heating was considered a deprivation. Approximately 99 percent households in Gutu, Nyanga and Tsholotsho and all households in Chiredzi andHurungwe were deprived of energy for space heating.


Situational Analysis of the Energy Status of Institutions that Support Children in Five Districts of Zimbabwe


Cooling: The deprivation status for ahousehold was determined byconsidering whether a householdowned or used cooling appliancessuch as a refrigerator or a fan forspace cooling. Approximately 96 percent of households were deprived ofenergy for cooling.

Receiving information: Deprivationof energy was measured throughownership of radio, television orcomputer. About 48 per cent ofhouseholds were deprived of energyfor information.

Communication: Deprivation ofenergy for communication measuredby proxy ownership of landline ormobile phone was only about 13 percent. Most households (87 per cent)owned mobile phones which were mostly charged using solar generated energy.

Energy Poverty is Prevalent in Schoolsl Lighting was poor in most of the schools. Natural light provided lighting in the

classrooms which were not connected to the national grid, but it was notadequate for afternoon learning. The quality of electric bulbs used in thoseschools on grid electricity or solar was poor and they were not providingenough lumens.

l Most of the schools that were off grid used petrol or diesel generators andincurred monthly running costs. Those that were on main grid experiencedfrequent load shedding. Teachers were the most affected at schools which hadno access to modern energy to meet their household needs.

l Energy management and efficiency in all schools was poor, resulting in highenergy bills.

Health Institutionsare Energy Poor

l Poor quality oflighting remains acritical issue in all ruralhealth institutions. Thiscompromises servicedelivery as theinstitutions are unableto provide qualityservice especially todelivering mothers inthe maternity wardsduring the night.

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In addition these mothers are required to bring own source of lighting which isa pre-condition to being served at some health centres. Thus poor women optto give birth at home.

l The rural hospitals that serve big populations relied heavily on diesel powerresulting in some of them having inadequate or no reliable energy sources. Thegrid installations were in a state of disrepair, thus the Zimbabwe ElectricityTransmission and Distribution Company needs to urgently address the repairsat these institutions.

Barriers to Access to Cleaner Energy

There were demand side and supply barriers to access to cleaner energy. The maindemand side barriers were caused by limited knowledge about cleaner technologies;lack of decision support information for use in choice of appropriate technology; lackof financing and inadequate participation by communities in technology development.

l People tended to have less knowledge about cleaner energy technologies thatwere less prevalent in the sample population, such as biogas, gel and micro-hydro electricity and this acted as a barrier to technology uptake.

l Where knowledge is lacking households tend to use perceptions as the keycomponent in determining the acceptability of technologies from both afinancial and social perspective.

w Barriers to solar energy were that the solar panel sizes were small 10 W andhad limited utilities that they could power. In addition the quality of thepanels available was poor and there was lack of knowledge on how tooperate them especially how to match the panel size and the size of batteryfor storing the energy with the type and number of gadgets used by thehousehold. There is therefore need to educate the communities about howto use solar power.

w With regards to biogas, the majority of people associated biogas with badodour and health risks as it came from rotten or human waste. Thus therewas a general feeling that using waste to generate energy for cooking wasunhygienic worse using human waste. Lack of knowledge about howbiogas is produced and how it works were the major constraints in the likelyadoption of the technology even among households who had the capacityin terms of cattle ownership and access to finance. The majority ofhouseholds expressed fear that the gas could burn the homestead andpeople if not properly used and because they had children in theirhouseholds, the likelihood of misusing biogas by children was high.

w Barriers of adoption and use of improved stoves such as the tsotso andjengetahuni were that for example the tsotso stoves were only able toaccommodate one pot at a time; easily breakable; had multiple uselimitations; their construction was childish and a chore for women; and theydid not allow for the cultural practice of sitting around the fire.

w The perceived costs of technologies also acted as a barrier for technologyuptake. Therefore, there is need for provision of information on the typesof energy technologies available and their prices to communities so thatthey can make choices to meet their demands.

w Other barriers had to do with the lack of capacity to manage the energyresource and this commonly affected micro-hydro schemes leading toconflicts. In some cases conflicts involved water use competition mostlybetween energy generation and agriculture leading to less water reachingthe hydro power generators.




l Culture affected change to cleaner energies as some of the respondents wouldnot want to change their energy source because they were used to it.

l Supply side barriers included:

w The general lack of knowledge among most general dealers to differentiategood from poor quality products. As a result they avoided trading in theproducts for fear of incurring losses.

w Some of the retailers shunned away from trading in some solar productsbecause their turn-over period was long.

w Access to finance and credit lines from suppliers were also highlighted asthe reason why some general dealers do not trade in energy products thatrequire large capital outlay.

Opportunities for Adoption of Cleaner Energy

l This study enquired the willingness of energy users to change from currentsources and to pay for the change to cleaner energy sources. Over 40 per centof sample households were willing to change from the energy source they werecurrently using for lighting while approximately 65 per cent of the fuel woodusers wanted to change from using fuel wood to using cleaner fuels for cooking.

l Households were prepared to part with significant amounts of money in orderto change from the use of fuel wood for cooking. The most preferred energysource for cooking among households in all areas was grid electricity followedby liquefied petroleum gas and paraffin.

l From a market perspective there is demand for cleaner energy sources with theend users willing to pay to upgrade their current energy sources. This impliesthat a market based approach to dissemination of cleaner energy technologycould be initiated and could gain momentum if the technologies were readilyavailable at an affordable price and able to mimic grid electricity in terms ofend user applications.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

What can be done to provide Children with Sustainable Energy?

At household level:

l The findings from this study show that there is a high potential market on thelow income end of the population. The energy market is characterized bydifferent needs, which will require an energy mix that suits the needs of all. Anintervention for example targeting one technology or energy source will notsuffice as the market is complex and has different needs, tastes and financialcapabilities.

l The pricing regime is important as the households’ incomes are low.Affordability is a reflection of disposable income and the ability to pay. Lessonscan be learnt from the business model approach to the provision of solarlighting to communities through energy kiosks where they are provided withsolar lanterns which they pay for over a 12 month period whilst already usingthe lanterns and also being able to charge these at the energy kiosk for free forthe duration of the period which they are paying the instalments. These energykiosks can be run by local people who have been trained to repairmalfunctioning lanterns to ensure their sustainability. Such kinds of schemesare likely to improve the use of clean energy sources and technologies as theyare tailored for the needs of the poor.

l The results show that most low-income earners across Zimbabwe can currentlyafford to purchase any of the low priced cleaner technologies. However theywould need to be provided with flexible payment mechanisms. The mechanismsshould take into account the local context with respect to sources and patternsof income; attitudes to borrowing; availability of micro-credit agencies; andability to repay over long and short periods. These mechanisms should be forboth end users and suppliers and should be informed by past experiences.

l Many of the poorest consumers may still require financial support. Access toconsumer finance such as micro-finance options and alternative financingschemes may be needed to enable consumers to obtain modern clean energyproducts.

l Solar: Solar homesystems have differentsizes and prices. Ananalysis of whetherhouseholds would affordthe systems show thatalmost every household inthe sample found anoption that it is able tobuy. This is encouragingand reflects the presenceof a huge market/demandfor the solar homesystems of differentranges. This has a greatpotential on access toenergy for lighting andthe hours children haveaccess to lighting for theirhomework.


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l Energy - efficient stoves: Lessons from current interventions in cook stovesshow that the uptake by households is low. Innovation should be directedtowards improving the current stock of stoves at low cost but meeting the socialneeds of the end user population.

l Biogas Technology: The feasibility for implementation of the biogas technologyis dependent on the availability of organic waste, adequate water and technicalskills to construct the bio-digester units. There is need for awareness campaignsor learning centres where potential end users can learn and be able to compareefficiency with their traditional cooking technologies. Biogas technology needsto be demonstrated at the household level so that would-be beneficiaries couldlearn and their fears allayed.

l Torches and cell phones: Torches and cell phones are becoming major sourcesof energy for lighting. As an immediate short term option suppliers need tostock light-emitting diode (LED) torches which have better illumination. LEDtorches with better pricing would be a short term option for children’s reading.

At school level:

l Lighting was observed to be poor in most schools. The “Green School Concept”should be introduced to provide new standards for designing classrooms sothat they consume as little energy as they can and also utilize natural light asmuch as possible. In addition, improvements are recommended for betterquality light design that includes use of more efficient energy saving LED bulbsso that children are provided with adequate light that does not affect their eyes.

l It is recommended that the “Every Child a Solar Lantern Concept” be introducedin rural day schools whereby school children could be provided with a lamp andthe cost paid as part of school fees to improve their lighting for reading at home.

l Most of schools that are off grid use petrol and diesel to power a few electricalappliances. It is proposed to substitute diesel and petrol generators with solarmini grids. It is estimated that schools spend on average USD450 per year onpetrol/diesel. The estimated cost of a 1 kW mini grid is USD5,000 and thepayback period per school would be 11 years for the installation of the solar minigrid. With the solar mini grid, each school would be able to build a dedicatedreading room where day scholars whose homes are near the school could studyat night and to provide energy for teachers.




l Most boarding schools have potential for biogas that is underutilized or notutilized. The main source of cooking is fuel wood and electricity which are majorcost factors to the schools. Promotion of biogas would save on the utilities billfor the boarding schools and reduce deforestation.

l The day schools used fuel wood for cooking mainly during special functions.Use of improved cook stoves would save on fuel wood and present anopportunity for showcasing improved cook stoves.

l The option for hydro-electricity exists in Manicaland. It is recommended thatthis be considered for electrification of schools. Potential exists in Honde,Chipinge and Nyanga Districts.

l Energy management and efficiency in all schools was poor resulting in highenergy bills. Awareness of energy saving techniques could help the schools toreduce their energy bills.

At health institutions level:

l An ideal rural health centre that is off grid should have its own stand-aloneenergy supply system that is reliable and affordable. Renewable energy optionsare the ideal energy resources that can be used to provide power for the healthcentres. The proposed intervention is to install solar mini grids.

l The solar mini grid would have to be 5 kW to be able to meet the lighting;pumping of water; refrigeration especially of medicines and vaccines; sterilizingequipment; and powering of other devices such as electric weighing scales,charging communication equipment, etc. In addition improvements are neededon better quality lighting design and more efficient energy saving for exampleby using LED bulbs.

l Solar systems installed by the Rural Electrification Agency were non-functional,therefore there is need to re-engage the power utility to clarify policy issuesrelated to ownership, technical shortcomings and rehabilitation of systems. Theoption of hydro-power for clinics in the Eastern Highlands needs to be seriouslyconsidered.

l Fuel wood is the dominant source of energy for cooking and heating and is usedin most rural health centres by expecting mothers. It is recommended thatcooking by expecting mothers should be in improved shelters using cleanercook stoves. The use of improved stoves such as the jengetahuni is limited andneeds to be evaluated for effectiveness in clinics where they have been installed,so that if found effective they can be up-scaled at clinics throughout the country.




l Water supply is critical to clinics. Options include installing solar poweredsystems and using gravity in areas such as the Eastern Highlands. Windtechnology seems to have limited application at household level in Zimbabwe;however, it can be used for pumping water at the institutional level. While initialcapital may be high, payoffs are likely to be better than for solar energy. Thewind technology needs to be promoted especially for water pumping.

CONCLUSIONSl This study involved communities, including children, in the survey to ascertain

their level of energy poverty, knowledge and needs thus it provides insights onthe barriers and opportunities for improving children’s access to renewableenergy. It has provided new evidence and knowledge that can inform thediscourse on the energy deprivations faced by especially rural children and thatretard their education, health and well-being. The findings should contributetowards the formulation and strengthening of policies that maximize the useof indigenous, clean and plentiful renewable energy found in Zimbabwe andensure long term sustainability.

l Teaching renewable energy technology in schools would expose the childrento understanding these issues early in life and they would act as the changeagents to some of the traditional and cultural challenges. It is important tounderstand the role of children in communicating and innovating aroundtechnologies that will help to improve their well-being by having greater accessto information on these technologies. Given the opportunity through learningand awareness, children can play a role in changing cultural perceptions andinfluencing the adoption of these new renewable energy technologies.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe would like to thank the following:

UNICEF Zimbabwe Social Policy Team

Principal Investigator and Lead Author of the Report Sara Feresu

The Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Zimbabwe

The Energy Audit Team led by the late Lasten Mika

The Rural Electrification Agency

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education

The Ministry of Health and Child Care

The Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing

Head Teachers and Teachers of Primary and Secondary Education Institutions

Health Care Workers at Clinics included in the Study

The Ministry of Energy and Power Development, in particular the Department ofRenewable Energy

A special thank you goes to all the school children, household heads, communitiesand business people who participated in the survey

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