Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Perspective
  • Published:

Towards a repair research agenda for off-grid solar e-waste in the Global South

Nature Energy volume 8, pages 123–128 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

There has been a boom in the sale of small-scale off-grid solar products across the Global South over the past decade. A substantial portion of this boom has been driven by international investment in off-grid solar start-up companies, and a formalized off-grid solar sector has been established, with the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association acting as a key representative body. Although this boom has aided in extending electricity access to many energy-poor households and businesses, an emerging concern is the short (three to four years) working life that these off-grid solar products typically have. This has led to a growing issue of solar e-waste. Here we examine how the structure of the off-grid solar sector results in substantial barriers to addressing solar e-waste in the Global South. We consider how practices of repair might contribute to addressing the issue, and set out a research agenda to facilitate new approaches to the issues of solar e-waste.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: OGS investment and sales in in the Global South from 2010 to 2020.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lighting Global. Off-Grid Solar: Market Trends Report 2020, March 2020 (World Bank, GOGLA, ESMAP, 2020).

  2. Hansen, U. E., Nygaard, I. & Dal Maso, M. The dark side of the sun: solar e-waste and environmental upgrading in the off-grid solar PV value chain. Ind. Innov. 28, 58–78 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). ‘Investment Data’ Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA, accessed 20 November 2021); https://www.gogla.org/access-to-finance/investment-data

  4. Cross, J. & Neumark, T. Solar power and its discontents: critiquing off‐grid infrastructures of inclusion in East Africa. Dev. Change 52, 902–926 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data July–December 2018. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2019).

  6. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data July–December 2019. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2020).

  7. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data January–June 2021. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2021).

  8. Munro, P. On, off, below and beyond the urban electrical grid the energy bricoleurs of Gulu Town. Urban Geogr. 41, 428–447 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Munro, P., van der Horst, G. & Healy, S. Energy justice for all? Rethinking sustainable development goal 7 through struggles over traditional energy practices in Sierra Leone. Energy Policy 105, 635–641 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Paterson, M. & Stripple, J. Virtuous carbon. Environ. Politics 21, 563–582 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Cross, J. The solar good: energy ethics in poor markets. J. R. Anthropol. Inst. 25, 47–66 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Cross, J. & Murray, D. The afterlives of solar power: waste and repair off the grid in Kenya. Energy Res. Social Sci 44, 100–109 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data January–June 2018. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2018).

  14. Samarakoon, S., Munro, P. G., Zalengera, C. & Kearnes, M. The afterlives of off-grid solar: the dynamics of repair and e-waste in Malawi. Environ. Innov. Societal Transit. 42, 317–330 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. van den Bergh, J., Folke, C., Polasky, S., Scheffer, M. & Steffen, W. What if solar energy becomes really cheap? A thought experiment on environmental problem shifting. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. 14, 170–179 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Kumar, A., & Turner, B. in Energy Justice Across Borders (eds Bombaerts, G. et al.) 155–173 (Springer, 2020).

  17. Balayannis, A. Toxic sights: the spectacle of hazardous waste removal. Environ. Soc. D 38, 772–790 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Samarakoon, S. The troubled path to ending darkness: energy injustice encounters in Malawi’s off-grid solar market. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 69, 101712 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Harrington, E. & Wambugu, A. W. Beyond technical standards: creating an ecosystem for quality and repair in Kenya’s off-grid solar sector. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 77, 102101 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Groenewoudt, A. C. & Romijn, H. A. Limits of the corporate-led market approach to off-grid energy access: a review. Environ. Innov. Societal Transit. 42, 27–43 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Cross, J. Selling with prejudice: social enterprise and caste at the bottom of the pyramid in India. Ethnos 84, 458–479 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Munro, P. G. et al. Social enterprise development and renewable energy dissemination in Africa: the experience of the community charging station model in Sierra Leone. Prog. Dev. Stud. 16, 24–38 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Samarakoon, S., Bartlett, A. & Munro, P. G. Somewhat original: energy ethics in Malawi’s off-grid solar market. Environ. Sociol. 7, 164–175 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Schützeichel, H. The ‘Gretchen Question’ of the Off-Grid Industry: to serve investors or the poor? Sun Connect – East Africa News (22 February 2019); https://sun-connect-ea.org/the-gretchen-question-of-the-off-grid-industry-to-serve-investors-or-the-poor/

  25. Lindner, K. in Decentralised Energy: a Global Game Changer (eds Burger, C. et al.) 245–253 (Ubiquity, 2020).

  26. Goodier, R. Rural solar energy enterprises can learn from Mobisol’s hard-earned lesson. Engineering for Change (3 September 2019); https://www.engineeringforchange.org/news/rural-solar-energy-enterprises-can-learn-mobisols-hard-earned-lesson/

  27. Grimm, M. & Peters, J. Solar off-grid markets in Africa. Recent dynamics and the role of branded products. Field Actions Sci. Rep. 15, 160–163 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Bensch, G., Grimm, M., Huppertz, M., Langbein, J. & Peters, J. Are promotion programs needed to establish off-grid solar energy markets? Evidence from rural Burkina Faso. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 90, 1060–1068 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Jaglin, S. in Local Energy Autonomy: Spaces, Scales, Politics (eds Lopez, F. et al.) 291–310 (Wiley, 2019).

  30. Trompette, P. & Cholez, C. in Handbook on Frugal Innovations and the Sustainable Development Goals (eds van Beers, C. et al.) In the press, hal-03100908 (Edward Elgar, 2022).

  31. Spear, R., Cross, J., Tait, J. & Goyal, R. Pathways To Repair In The Global Off-Grid Solar Sector (Efficiency For Access Coalition & The University of Edinburgh, 2020).

  32. Blair, H., Wambui, W., Rhodes, R. & Murray, D. Global LEAP Solar E-Waste Challenge: Lessons on Take-Back, Collection, Repair & Recycling of Off-Grid Solar Products (GOGLA, CLASP, 2021).

  33. Pickren, G. Political ecologies of electronic waste: uncertainty and legitimacy in the governance of e-waste geographies. Environ. Plan. A 46, 26–45 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Davis, J.-M. & Garb, Y. Extended responsibility or continued dis/articulation? Critical perspectives on electronic waste policies from the Israeli–Palestinian case. Environ. Plan. E Nat. Space 2, 368–389 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Lepawsky, J. Planet of fixers? Mapping the middle grounds of independent and do‐it‐yourself information and communication technology maintenance and repair. Geo. Geogr. Environ. 7, e00086 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Hielscher, S. & Jaeger-Erben, M. From quick fixes to repair projects: insights from a citizen science project. J. Clean. Prod. 278, 12387 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Global Leap Awards. Solar E-Waste Challenge Project Spotlights, February 2020 (accessed 23 June 2021); https://storage.googleapis.com/leap-assets/Winner-Spotlight.pdf

  38. Corbyn, D., Martinez, J. & Cooke, R. E-waste Toolkit Module 4 Briefing Note: E-waste Regulation and Compliance, 2019 (accessed 20 June 2021); https://www.gogla.org/sites/default/files/resource_docs/gogla_e-waste-module-briefing-4_def.pdf

  39. Graziano, V. & Trogal, K. The politics of collective repair: examining object-relations in a postwork society. Cultural Stud. 31, 634–658 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Barry, M. S. & Creti, A. Pay-as-you-go contracts for electricity access: bridging the ‘last mile’ gap? A case study in Benin. Energy Econ. 90, 104843 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Kizilcec, V., Parikh, P. & Bisaga, I. Examining the journey of a pay-as-you-go solar home system customer: a case study of Rwanda. Energies 14.2, 330 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Ockwell, D. et al. Can pay-as-you-go, digitally enabled business models support sustainability transformations in developing countries? Outstanding questions and a theoretical basis for future research. Sustainability 11, 2105 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Collings, S. & Munyehirwe, A. Pay-as-you-go solar PV in Rwanda: evidence of benefits to users and issues of affordability. J. Field Actions Sci. Rep. 15, 94–103 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Corwin, J. E. ‘Nothing is useless in nature’: Delhi’s repair economies and value-creation in an electronics ‘waste’ sector. Environ. Plan. A Econ. Space 50, 14–30 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Solar What?! (Features, 2020); http://www.solarwhat.xyz/features.php

  46. Who we are and What We’re About (Kuyere!, accessed 22 June 2021); https://kuyere.org/about/

  47. Rubino, A. Off-grid electricity: for comfort but not for work. Nat. Energy 2, 17078 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Pugh, G. Compatibility and Interoperability Technology Roadmap (Efficiency for Access Coalition, 2019).

  49. USAID. Southern Africa Energy Program (SAEP): Market Entry Information Pack (USAID, January 2019).

  50. Magalini, F., Segal, J. & Meloni, M. in The Routledge Handbook of Waste, Resources and the Circular Economy (eds Tudor, T. & Dutra, C. J. C.) 410–419 (Routledge, 2020).

  51. Murray, D. Fixing Development: Breakdown, Repair and Disposal in Kenya’s Off-Grid Solar Market. PhD Thesis, Univ. Edinburgh (2020).

  52. Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility and Open Capital Advisors. Understanding Impact of Distribution Costs on Uptake of OGS Products in Select SSA Countries (Tetra Tech International Development, 2020).

  53. George, T. & Corbyn, D. The Connect White Paper (Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), 2021).

  54. ‘The Global Leap Awards Spotlight SunnyMoney Grow Repair Capacity for Off-Grid Solar in Zambia’ Efficiency for Access (Global Leap Award, 2020); https://medium.com/efficiency-for-access/sunnymoney-grows-repair-capacity-for-off-grid-solar-in-zambia-fd57a2f5f8d4

  55. Lighting Africa. Lighting Africa Progress Report: Building Market Momentum: July 1, 2008–June 30, 2010 (International Finance Corporation, World Bank, 2010).

  56. Lighting Africa. Solar Lighting for the Base of the Pyramid: Overview of an Emerging Market (International Finance Corporation, World Bank, 2010).

  57. Lighting Africa. The Off-Grid Lighting Market in Sub-Saharan Africa: Market Research Synthesis Report, February 2011 (International Finance Corporation, World Bank, 2011).

  58. Lighting Africa. 2nd International Business Conference and Trade Fair: Conference Report, May 18–20, 2010 (International Finance Corporation, World Bank, 2011).

  59. Lighting Africa. Lighting Africa Market Trends Report 2012 Overview of the Off-Grid Lighting Market in Africa (International Finance Corporation, World Bank, 2013).

  60. Lighting Global. Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2016 (Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Lighting Global, World Bank, GOGLA, 2016).

  61. Lighting Global. Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2018: January 2018 (Dalberg Advisors, International Finance Corporation, 2018).

  62. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data July–December 2015. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2016).

  63. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data January–June 2016. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2016).

  64. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data July–December 2016. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2017).

  65. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data January–June 2017. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2017).

  66. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data January–June 2019. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2019).

  67. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data July–December 2019. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2020).

  68. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data January–June 2020. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2020).

  69. Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA). Global Off-Grid Solar Market Report Semi-Annual Sales and Impact Data July–December 2020. Public Report (Lighting Global, World Bank Group, 2021).

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute and the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation. P.G.M. is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Award (DECRA, project no. DE200100912) funded by the Australian Government. U.E.H. would like to express his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark for providing financial support (research grant no. 20-M07DTU) for his involvement in the writing of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Paul G. Munro, Shanil Samarakoon & Matthew Kearnes

  2. DTU Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde, Denmark

    Ulrich E. Hansen

  3. School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Anna Bruce

  4. School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Jamie Cross

  5. School of Economics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Sarah Walker

  6. Department of Energy Systems, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi

    Collen Zalengera

Authors
  1. Paul G. Munro
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shanil Samarakoon
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ulrich E. Hansen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Matthew Kearnes
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Anna Bruce
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jamie Cross
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Sarah Walker
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Collen Zalengera
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul G. Munro.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Energy thanks Josh Lepawsky, Ankit Kumar and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Munro, P.G., Samarakoon, S., Hansen, U.E. et al. Towards a repair research agenda for off-grid solar e-waste in the Global South. Nat Energy 8, 123–128 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01103-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01103-9

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene