A Socio-technical Study of Electricity Demand, Efficiency and Flexibility in the Urban Housing Sector of Burkina Faso

普遍获得安全的电力供应对布基纳法索的经济发展和人民的福利至关重要。自2010年以来，快速的城市化和空调使用的增加导致该国电力需求每年增长8.4%。该国的发电能力无法跟上，导致频繁停电，45%的能源依赖进口，给消费者带来了高昂而不稳定的成本。不间断和负担得起的电力供应将增加家庭收入；改善儿童教育；节省收集替代燃料的时间和金钱，特别是对妇女而言；提高企业的生产力；并加快安装新的电力连接。这些直接利益将降低该国目前的社会和经济贫穷、失业、文盲和移民率。升级该国的发电和供电系统是一项长期挑战，但在短期内，我们的项目合作伙伴布基纳法索政府和国家电力公司SONABEL认为，在住房部门（占全国用电量的33%）实施需求侧管理（DSM）计划（电力效率和灵活性）将更好地平衡供需，并释放这些有益的发展成果。政府还承诺减少电力需求，提高家庭能源效率，以减少温室气体排放，并帮助减轻气候变化的影响。气候变化对布基纳法索所在的萨赫勒地区的影响尤为严重，而且由于家庭越来越多地使用空调降温，气候变化本身也进一步加剧了电力需求。然而，目前，布基纳法索几乎没有关于家庭电力需求、效率或灵活性的数据，无法成功地、基于证据地实施用电需求管理。这项研究和伙伴关系建设项目的目的和目标将解决这一知识上的重大差距。该项目是与布基纳法索政府和SONABEL合作开发的，以确保研究提供他们所需的数据和证据。在直接研究方面，将对瓦加杜古的100户家庭进行社会技术住宅电力研究。对电力需求和家庭内部温度的现场测量将提供有关家庭电力负荷概况、交流电使用情况、使用时间和峰值负荷的经验见解。将完成一项效率和灵活性调查，以了解家庭目前的做法和提高家庭能源效率的机会，并确定家庭愿意采取的负荷转移和削减行动，以防止停电。将研究由于家庭和住宅的社会技术特征而引起的反应的多样性。同时，将开展一系列建立伙伴关系的活动（如研究访问、项目会议、讲习班、小型会议）。这些都是根据项目计划的阶段量身定制的，要么为直接研究的交付提供信息，要么形成一个讨论、传播和产生研究成果影响的平台。将建立一个由6所大学组成的国际网络，未来将在布基纳法索和其他非洲国家开展关于能源和发展挑战的研究。该网络还将作为不断互利交流知识和技能的平台。为了在项目的生命周期内产生发展影响，与政府和SONABEL的研讨会将把研究结果转化为基于证据的建议，为未来的政策和DSM计划提供信息。项目合作伙伴GGGI将利用其广泛的网络，吸引更广泛的利益相关者和受益者，从而实现一系列影响途径。

Universal access to a secure electricity supply is essential for the economic development and welfare of the population of Burkina Faso. Rapid urbanisation and an increased use of air conditioning (AC) has led to an 8.4% annual increase in the country's electricity demand since 2010. The nation's generation capacity is unable to keep up, resulting in frequent power outages, and a 45% dependence on energy imports creating high and volatile costs for consumers.An uninterrupted and affordable electricity supply would increase household incomes; improve education of children; save time and money collecting alternative fuels, particularly for women; improve the productivity of businesses; and accelerate the installation of new electricity connections. These direct benefits would reduce current rates of social and economic poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and emigration in the country.Upgrading the country's electricity generation and supply system is a long-term challenge, but in the short-term, our project partners, the Government of Burkina Faso and national electricity utility, SONABEL, believe the implementation of demand side management (DSM) programmes (electricity efficiency and flexibility) in the housing sector (which accounts for 33% of national electricity use) would better balance supply and demand and unlock these beneficial development outcomes.The Government has also committed to reduce electricity demand and improve energy efficiency in homes to cut Green House Gas emissions and help mitigate the effects of climate change, a phenomenon that disproportionately effects the Sahel region where Burkina Faso is located and is itself further exacerbating electricity demand as households are increasingly using AC to stay cool.However, at present, there is almost no data on household electricity demand, efficiency or flexibility in Burkina Faso for a successful, evidence based implementation of DSM. The aims and objectives of this research and partnership building project will address this substantial gap in knowledge. The project has been developed collaboratively with the Government of Burkina Faso and SONABEL to ensure the research delivers the data and evidence they need. For the direct research, a socio-technical residential electricity study will be undertaken with 100 households in Ouagadougou. Field measurements of electricity demands and internal temperatures of homes will provide empirical insights into households' electricity load profiles, use of AC, time-of-use and peak loads. An efficiency and flexibility survey will be completed to understand households' current practices and opportunities for improving energy efficiency at home, as well as identifying load shifting and curtailment actions that households would be willing to implement to prevent power outages. Diversity in responses due to the socio-technical characteristics of the households and dwellings will be studied. Simultaneously a range of partnership building activities (e.g. research visits, project meetings, workshops, mini conference) will be undertaken. These are tailored to the stage of the project programme to either inform the delivery of the direct research or form a platform for discussion, dissemination and impact generation of the research findings. An international network of 6 Universities will be created where future research on energy and development challenges in Burkina Faso and other African countries will stem. The network will also act as a platform for ongoing mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and skills. To deliver development impact within the project's life time, workshops with the Government and SONABEL will turn the research findings into evidence based recommendations to inform future policy and DSM programmes. Project partner GGGI will use their extensive network, to engage wider stakeholders and beneficiaries, so a range of routes to impact are achieved.