Limits of energy access research on unreliability

Abstract

AbstractElectricity users in sub‐Saharan Africa face persistent unreliable and unaffordable access. However, users' perspectives and experiences have largely been absent from policy literature. Content analysis of energy access policy literature reveals two long‐held assumptions: (1) any connection is better than no connection; (2) residents who object to this poor access have an entitlement problem. This paper critically interrogates these assumptions by using ethnographic data gathered during fieldwork in Unguja, Tanzania. It finds that long‐held policy justifications are easily contravened by real‐life experiences of sub‐par service and counters conventional narratives that blame users for the failure of electricity systems in their communities.