In South Africa’s energy sector, several renewable technologies are mature enough to roll out, but need the right support in the right contexts. Around the world, attempts to adopt new or improved technologies often fail because they focus on the ‘hardware’ and ignore the complex mix of interconnected social, institutional, economic and policy issues that can limit success.

In the Blue Crane Route Municipality of South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, the CHOICES project (Community and Household Options In Choosing Energy Services) is exploring the energy options available to people who are not connected to the national electricity grid, or who do not enjoy reliable and affordable power, both for households to improve their quality of life, and for businesses to expand and innovate.

This briefing was funded by REEEP as part of the CHOICES project ‘Community and Household Options in Choosing Energy Services’ — a partnership
between OneWorld Sustainable Investments and IIED in South Africa.

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