Electricity is an indispensable building block for sustainable development. As national and international electrification measures in rural areas of Tanzania are progressing slowly, a solar-powered mini-grid system with second-life battery storage was commissioned on an island in Lake Victoria in 2019 to support local development. This article evaluates the socio-economic impacts associated with electrification through this system. On average, 42.31 kWh of electricity could be provided per day. The daily demand of the main infrastructure (hospital and school) was 18.75 kWh on average. The remaining capacity thus offers enough potential to supply private households and possible economic activities. In order to evaluate the impact of electrification, a qualitative survey was conducted on site 12 months after commissioning, with 7% of the people living there being interviewed. Language barriers as well as intercultural hurdles made the survey difficult and required an adaptation of the on-site implementation. The focus of the survey was on the areas of health, education and economics. The study revealed that the availability of electricity has enormous potential to improve people's living conditions. Initial successes could be seen, especially in the areas of health care and the economic sector. So far, electrification has had no influence on the area of education. While the connections for the main infrastructure have been institutionally supported, the system-related electricity price of €1.30/kWh has proven to be a major obstacle for private households. This is far too high for widespread use compared to incomes. The article thus focuses on the observation that full socio-economic development through electrification can only succeed if local people can afford it. Possibilities to solve this problem are analysed. Since the energy is generated on the basis of renewable resources, the analysis focuses on the use of mechanisms of the emissions trading system (ETS). The aim is to generate revenue through the sale of certified emission reductions (CERs) for the saved CO₂emissions and thus reduce the electricity price. A reference scenario of conventional energy production forms the basis for discussion of the effectiveness of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Carbon Initiative for Development (Ci-Dev). In addition, the approach of a monthly free quota of electricity, the free basic electricity initiative (FBE), is included in the evaluation.Graphical abstract

Socio-economic development in the rural regions of Africa cannot succeed without suitable infrastructure. An essential key to this is electrification. Despite various national and international activities and expansion programmes, and a wide variety of actors, their implementation is progressing slowly. In order to supply remote areas with electricity, off-grid system technologies have become increasingly common in recent years. In this article, we present the use of a photovoltaic system in conjunction with a 85 kWh second life lithium-ion battery (LIB) as an off-grid hybrid system to electrify an island in Lake Victoria in Tanzania as a socio-economic case study.This off-grid hybrid system was able to supply an average of 42.31 kWh of energy per day, with the daily demand of the key infrastructure successfully connected in the project, such as the local hospital and school, amounting to 18.75 kWh. The scaled annual production of 15,443.16 kWh offers enough potential to include private households as well as the local fishing industry in the power supply. Assuming an expected lifetime of 15 years, the described system amortises itself from the 4th year. In addition, this project should also serve as a possible second life scenario for batteries with regard to the rapidly developing global electromobility and the perspective return of used LIBs. An economic and an ecological evaluation shows a solution approach of using a second life lithium-ion battery compared to a conventional diesel generator solution. The consideration of health aspects is included in the evaluation.

Water is an essential resource required for various human activities such as drinking, cooking, growing food, and personal hygiene. As a key infrastructure of public services, access to clean and safe drinking water is an essential factor for local socio-economic development. Despite various national and international efforts, water supply is often not guaranteed, especially in rural areas of Africa. Although many water resources are theoretically available in these areas, bodies of water are often contaminated with dangerous pathogens and pollutants. As a result, people, often women and children, have to travel long distances to collect water from taps and are exposed to dangers such as physical violence and accidents on their way. In this article, we present a socio-economic case study for rural development. We describe a drinking water treatment plant with an annual capacity of 10,950 m³ on Kibumba Island in Lake Victoria (Tanzania). The plant is operated by a photovoltaic mini-grid system with second-life lithium-ion battery storage. We describe the planning, the installation, and the start of operation of the water treatment system. In addition, we estimate the water prices achievable with the proposed system and compare it to existing sources of drinking water on Kibumba Island. Assuming a useful life of 15 years, the installed drinking water system is cost-neutral for the community at a cost price of 0.70 EUR/m³, 22% less than any other source of clean water on Kibumba Island. Access to safe and clean drinking water is a major step forward for the local population. We investigate the socio-economic added value using social and economic key indicators like health, education, and income. Hence, this approach may serve as a role model for community-owned drinking water systems in sub-Saharan Africa.