Renewable energy use in burundi and iceland
envs 22o fall 2018
treasure mcmahan, match kay, andrew hayes, Christopher plechot binder
Getting "situated": what is situated research?
Good research is integral to addressing environmental issues. In the Environmental Studies program at Lewis & Clark, we tackle such issues by getting situated. Situated research allows us to examine environmental issues through a geographical lens, which helps us to consider various perspectives and processes through different scales as they pertain to particular places. Situated research creates a foundation for environmental research in a real world context.
The hourglass
In the Lewis & Clark Environmental Studies program, we like to think of situated research as an hourglass. We begin at the top of the hourglass, and move to the middle and bottom, which allows us to examine the given issue at different conceptual scales.
The process of situated research generally proceeds as follows: 1. Choose a broad environmental issue and pose a general question, or "framing" question. 2. Select a situated context that pertains to the framing question, and pose a "focus" question that guides your research. 3. Consider how your research applies to a broader context and determine what further research is needed. (Proctor 2018) |
Situated Research project
Top of the hourglass
Background
Why Renewable Energy?
The world is undergoing change. With the rise of climate change and the increase in global temperature, the ways in which humanity operates needs to undergo change as well. One way we can attempt to remedy climate change is the implementation of renewable energy technologies (RET). In 2017, global renewable energy consumption grew by 17%, and now provides 8% of the world's electricity (BP, 2017). Renewable energy accounted for almost 50% of global power generation growth in 2017 (BP, 2017). In high income countries, RETs can reduce dependency on fossil fuels while maintaining standard of living that are highly dependent on energy access. In low income countries, RETs can both reduce dependency on fossil fuels for economic growth, and provide a means of addressing energy poverty. |
The individual needs and priorities of countries are varying, and the practicality of implementing renewable energy technologies depends on the unique economic and geographical conditions of an area. Because of this, renewable energy technologies are not a one size fits all solution. For our situated research project, we decided to focus on the ways in which renewable energy technologies and socio-economic status relate, and how RETs can perhaps improve socio-economic standing.
Framing question"How can renewable energy technologies affect socio-economic shortcomings in high and low income countries?"
Our framing question serves as a general guide for further research on our chosen broad environmental issue. Through our inquiry into the validity of the Capitalocene, our group determined that the issue of renewable energy utilization requires further research. While examining World Bank income group data in the context of Yale's EPI scores, we found that there is not a clear indication that environmental protection efforts are linked to a countries income or state of development. |
Through our preliminary research, we found that different motivations for the implementation of renewable energy is closely related to socio-economic issues and differences between income groups on a national level. Additionally, there are clear differences between the motivations for the use of renewable energy in countries of high and low income levels. With this in mind, we developed our framing question around our two variable of interest to guide our research.
Situated context
Why Burundi and Iceland?
During one of our labs in ENVS 220, we found that many countries in sub-Saharan Africa heavily rely on renewable energy sources. We were comparing World Bank data on income groups and renewable energy consumption, and found that Burundi uses the most renewable energy (as a percent of total energy consumption) than any other country globally. According to the World Bank, Burundi is classified as a low income country, and 96% of their energy consumption is from renewable sources (World Bank, 2015). Iceland, a high income country and global leader in sustainability, uses 77% renewable energy (World Bank, 2015). However, only 7.6% of Burundi's population has access to electricity, while 100% of Iceland's population has access (World Bank, 2015). We decided to situate our project in both Burundi and Iceland to gain a better understanding of renewable energy technologies in varying income groups. |
Key Actors
To establish the numerous variables that contribute to renewable energy use in a particular country, our group created concept maps. We created two concept maps, one for Burundi and one for Iceland, to visually depict the various actors that contribute to the unique factors that have led to the implementation of renewable energy technologies in both countries. We determined several major broad factors that likely contribute to renewable energy use: history, geography, society, economics, policy, and energy consumption. The concept maps below act as a visual display of each of these factors and how they play out in both countries.
Middle of the hourglass
Focus question"How have renewable energy technologies in Burundi and Iceland affected socio-economic shortcomings?"
Our focus question addresses the explanatory dimensions of our instrumental framing question. In situated research, the focus question allows the researcher to define the geographical location in which they are analyzing the chosen environmental issue, and guides the remainder of the research. We developed an explanatory focus question that illustrates a cause and affect relationship between socio-economic indicators and the implementation of renewable energy technologies. |
Methodology
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Because our project is still in its proposal phase, several aspects of our methodology have yet to be executed. As a group, we have developed several methods that will allow us to collect complementary qualitative, quantitative, intensive, and extensive data.
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- RET Private Contractor and Employee Interviews
- Survey of individuals who live near RET production sites
- Groundtruthing of Hydropower Sites
Project Timeline
We plan to spend around three months in Burundi and Iceland. Because our group consists of four people, two of us can collect data in Burundi while two of us collect data in Iceland.
We would conduct research with staff and private contractors at the largest RET production plants in both countries. Finalize preliminary research, survey, and interview questions. Finalize specific sites for surveys, interviews, and groundtruthing. |
Pre-depature Finalize preliminary research, survey, and interview questions. Finalize specific sites for surveys, interviews, and groundtruthing.
Weeks 1-2 Both teams travel to Burundi and Iceland
Weeks 2-10 Teams will conduct interviews with staff and private contractors of largest RET production plants
Weeks 8-10 Both teams distribute brief surveys to settlements near RET production plants
Post-trip Use ArcGIS, statistics, and qualitative research analysis to examine interview and survey data
Weeks 1-2 Both teams travel to Burundi and Iceland
Weeks 2-10 Teams will conduct interviews with staff and private contractors of largest RET production plants
Weeks 8-10 Both teams distribute brief surveys to settlements near RET production plants
Post-trip Use ArcGIS, statistics, and qualitative research analysis to examine interview and survey data
Analysis and Results
Because our project is still in its proposal phase and we have not carried out our data collection, we do not have results. However, we have completed enough background research and analysis to anticipate potential results and implications.
Through the analysis of the varying socio-economic shortcomings that we will address in these contexts, other countries in similar income ranges could see the validity of implementing RETs. By drawing parallels across income ranges, we may be able to present RET use as a viable solution across nations with various socio-economic standings. Our team hypothesizes that the relationship between RET contractors and governments is widely varied.
Through the analysis of the varying socio-economic shortcomings that we will address in these contexts, other countries in similar income ranges could see the validity of implementing RETs. By drawing parallels across income ranges, we may be able to present RET use as a viable solution across nations with various socio-economic standings. Our team hypothesizes that the relationship between RET contractors and governments is widely varied.
Bottom of the Hourglass
Comparison, Generalization, and next stepsThe bottom of the hourglass is where the researcher brings the top and middle of the hourglass together to make broad generalizations and draw widely applicable conclusions. The implementation of RETs may help to increase electricity access in rural areas, as well as decrease fossil fuel consumption. These positive outcomes relate to the United Nations Sustainability Goals. Our group believes that the next step for the examination of renewable energy use across multiple income groups would be to offer revisions to current global sustainability goals.
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This process would involve drafting comprehensive legislation that incorporates the varying perspectives of numerous stakeholders. While this is a lofty task, it would benefit the environmental health and improve the socio-economic statuses of countries outside the purview of our study.
Through our research, we have discovered that the role private contractors is dependent on the country in which they are operating.
Following our thorough analysis of renewable energy technology implementation in countries of varying income groups, we may have the information necessary to create legislation that will better define the roles of private RET contractors.
We identified several "next steps" for further research on this topic. These are questions that we have yet to address on this topic, but would greatly contribute to the findings and results:
•What encourages investment in renewable energy technologies?
•What specific policies are in place regarding the equity of energy distribution among populations?
•What is the viability of ground truthing solar panels in different geographic contexts?
Through our research, we have discovered that the role private contractors is dependent on the country in which they are operating.
Following our thorough analysis of renewable energy technology implementation in countries of varying income groups, we may have the information necessary to create legislation that will better define the roles of private RET contractors.
We identified several "next steps" for further research on this topic. These are questions that we have yet to address on this topic, but would greatly contribute to the findings and results:
•What encourages investment in renewable energy technologies?
•What specific policies are in place regarding the equity of energy distribution among populations?
•What is the viability of ground truthing solar panels in different geographic contexts?
project updatesThroughout the process of developing this project proposal, I wrote project updates that further explain the process we went through and difficulties we faced. Click on the links below to gain a better understanding of the process we went through when developing this project proposal.
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*To share our resources amongst our group and to the public, we created a Zotero library where we continue to collect scholarly resources for our research. We used four different tags: Burundi, Iceland, Framing, and Focus. The tags are used to filter our resources in terms of the country and question type they are addressing.
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Final Project Poster
References
"Indicator Database." The World Bank. 2015. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator?tab=all.
Proctor, Jim. "Situated Research." Environmental Studies Resources. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://jimproctor.us/envs/situated-research/.
RISE. “Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) 2016 Country Data - Burundi.” RISE, n.d. Accessed December 1, 2018.
"Statistical Review of World Energy: Renewable Energy." Bp.com. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy- economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy/renewable-energy.html.
"The Sustainable Development Goals - United Nations Sustainable Development." United Nations. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.
"Indicator Database." The World Bank. 2015. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator?tab=all.
Proctor, Jim. "Situated Research." Environmental Studies Resources. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://jimproctor.us/envs/situated-research/.
RISE. “Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) 2016 Country Data - Burundi.” RISE, n.d. Accessed December 1, 2018.
"Statistical Review of World Energy: Renewable Energy." Bp.com. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy- economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy/renewable-energy.html.
"The Sustainable Development Goals - United Nations Sustainable Development." United Nations. Accessed December 1, 2018. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.