Coventry University academics launch book that provides solutions to rural electrification challenges
Wednesday 09 December 2020
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Coventry University academics in energy and sustainability have co-authored a book that poses solutions to the difficult challenge of providing 24/7 electricity in rural areas.
Titled Rural Electrification, the book is written by Coventry University London academics Luisa Sykes and Najib Altawell, alongside James Milne and Patrice Seuwou.
The book covers with precision the transition taking place in the energy sector not only in the developed but also in the developing world, and places emphasis on the environmental argument as well as the social and economic thinking behind the implementation of successful renewable energy projects in developing countries.
It highlights in vivid colours the impressive and powerful changes taking place in the energy sector, showing how they are directly impacting the way people live, work and socialise. The book provides informative content on all energy sectors but also invites reflection on the challenges the new energy developments will bring to the entire political, socio-economic, technological and institutional systems.
Among other core issues, it addresses energy source types, resource deployment, fundamental challenges and limitations, the rising threat of climate change, and the role of the renewable energy transition.
The work concludes with a comparative assessment of different energy supply technologies and scenarios, contrasting the pros and cons of fossil fuels versus renewable energy resources to achieve the goal of comprehensive rural electrification.
My colleagues and I are delighted to publish this book as a contribution towards efforts to provide a suite of new approaches to deliver and expand electrification across challenging rural environments. Our work describes optimal economics, planning and policy for electrification where there is no access to electricity, and reviews how practitioners can achieve cost reductions for rural energy supply using existing technologies. It addresses routes to power rural electrification within a transitioning energy economy while simultaneously accounting for climate change considerations.
Dr. Najib Altawell, lecturer in renewable energy and fossil fuels at Coventry University London
The book, which is now available to purchase, is aimed at early career researchers at graduate and PhD level in engineering disciplines of relevance to energy and electricity; energy economics; energy policy; policy studies; transition studies; future studies and various area studies specialisations, including rural electrifications, rural finance, rural economic development and project management.
