AUTHOR=Vetter-Gindele Jannik , Bachofer Felix , Braun Andreas , Uwayezu Ernest , Rwanyiziri Gaspard , Eltrop Ludger 

TITLE=Bottom-up assessment of household electricity consumption in dynamic cities of the Global South—Evidence from Kigali, Rwanda

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Cities

VOLUME=Volume 5 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2023.1130758

DOI=10.3389/frsc.2023.1130758

ISSN=2624-9634

ABSTRACT=Data on electricity consumption is a prerequisite for evaluating and modelling energy systems, and thus an important element of sustainable urban planning. In this context, especially countries in the Global South face a lack of statistically valid, geocoded, and disaggregated data at the household level. This paper aims to develop a generic methodology for the generation of such a database in terms of electricity consumption. It was tested in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, with a focus on all single-family residential building types of the inner city. Discrete data on buildings is obtained through combined information products derived from very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery, field surveys, and computer assisted personal interviewing. In total, 509 valid geocoded survey datasets were used to evaluate and model household electricity consumption as well as electrical appliance ownership. The arithmetic mean of specific electricity consumption was 3.66 kWh per household per day and 345 kWh per capita per year in 2015. By subdividing the data into distinct building types as well as their spatial location, and then weighting the specific values according to their proportion in the study area, a mean value of 1.88 kWh per household per day and 160 kWh per capita per year was obtained. Applying the proposed weighted mean to extrapolate household electricity consumption to the study area in combination with the level of precision of the sample resulted in 126 - 137 GWh for the year 2015. In contrast, the arithmetic mean would lead to values twice as high, which would even exceed the total electricity consumption of the entire city, including multi-family and non-residential buildings. The study shows how on-site data collection accompanied by geospatial mapping techniques can lead to a better understanding of residential energy systems. Using building types as indicators to distinguish between households with contrasting electricity consumption and load levels of electrical appliances helps to tackle the challenges of rapid urban growth in the Global South. The proposed method can help municipal administrations establish a database that can be updated resource-efficiently at regular intervals by acquiring new satellite images.