REPORT 2001
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GUIDELINES FOR OBSERVERS-REPORTERS
Indicator 3: Households with Access to Electricity
  Instructions:
 
  • Find the number of households with access to electric power, either through the transmission grid or by stand-alone systems.
  • Such data is often published by national governments, energy ministries, electric boards, or government-owned electric utilities. The United Nations Statistical Office, UN's Development Programme, or the World Bank may also publish data for each country. 
  • Fraction of households with access to electricity in 1990: 
      = __________________
  • Fraction of households with access to electricity in 1998: 
      = __________________
Enter the following data:
 
  • Number of households (or population) with access to electric power in 1990:
= X = __________________
  • Number of households (or population) with access to electric power in            : 
= P = __________________
  • Total number of households (or population) in 1990:
    = Y = __________________ 
  • Total number of households (or population) in            :
= Q = __________________


Calculating the vector value:

Full access to electricity by households means a vector value of "0"-the center of the Star, whereas zero percent is the "1" circle. All other values fall in between.
Formula: 1 - (X / Y).
Actual calculation of the vector:
= 1 - (households with access to electricity in          / total households of in              )
= 1 - ( P / Q ) 
= 1 - _________________
Optional vector calculation for 1990:
= 1 - (households with access to electricity in 1990 / total households of in 1990)
= 1 - ( X / Y ) 
= 1 - _________________


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General Discussion: Households with Access to Electricity
 

Vector:

  • 1 : zero% of households have access to electricity 
  • 0 : 100% of households have access to electricity
Access to electricity is considered a social good-it helps spread literacy and education, improved health through refrigerated storage of medicines, and improved communication and awareness. While western standards of electric consumption need not be adopted, access to some level of affordable power is appropriate. Yet it need not, and should not in many locations, be provided by a centralized grid. Grid extension is extremely expensive, often 40% or more of total investment in the electric sector, and can lead to empoverishment rather than empowerment unless the electricity is highly subsidised. While building more powerplants and coal mines provides needed jobs, it also creates more air pollution. A global program of providing smaller, decentralised, renewable energy systems for dispersed rural areas is a wiser investment than the trillions of dollars spent on centralised, dirty, and ultimately more expensive powerplants and grids (billions in government subsidies typically accompany powerplant construction, mining operations, transportation infrastructure, and grid extension). Solar photovoltaic and other renewable systems installation, training, equipment, financing, and deployment programs have proven successful in many countries.

Developed couuntries have already extended electrical service to all or nearly all households. Yet this indicator remains a valuable measure of energy gy-related sustainable development as one-third or more of the world's people do not have access to electricity; in India alone 500 million rural people do not have access. In 1990, 1.4 billion of the 3.2 billion rural population of developing countriesTimes new romaned access to electricity. Develping countries can invest productively in their economies or misallocate capital and resources in electrification but not both.

Investment in efficient use of electricity is essential. The goal, in a comprehensive way, is to invest precious development capTimes new romanto deliver needed energy in the right form, at the proper times, and the lowest total cost to industry, commerce, and household. In rural areas, more often than not this will mean distributed, small renewable systems providing essential needs. Investment in efficient use is essential. The goal is to systematically invest scarce development capital into technologies that deliver needed energy in the form, at the right time, at the lowest total cost to all consumers. In rural areas, this frequently means small, renewable, decentralised, "distributed" power systems appropriate to rural needs.

Example

Thiry-seven percent of Brazil's rural households have access to electric power. The vector is 1.000 -0.370 = 0.630 (See Note) 

Note: Winrock International (1997), "Electricfication Profile of Brazil", REPSource, v.2#4, using data from Instituto Brazileiro de Geografia e Statistica, and Electrobras. Winrock publishes REPSource, newsletter of International Network of Renewable Energy Project Support Offices, Arlington, VA

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