The Service Value Method for Design of Energy Access Systems in the Global South

Clements, Anna; Wheeler, Scot; Mohr, Alison; McCulloch, Malcolm

Abstract

This paper presents the Service Value Method as a novel means to gather and interpret end-user needs, aspirations, and contextual factors to improve engineering design practice of energy access systems for the Global South. The method adopts a service-oriented approach and consists of a rapid and effective field exercise to gather qualitative and quantitative data from end-users in focus groups. This exercise is suitable for enabling end-user participation in Global South contexts. The data is interpreted as Service Maps that capture end-user preferences to inform trade-offs of different design criteria, guiding the preliminary design of the energy system. The method ensures end-user needs and contexts are integrated into the design process early on. A case study is presented, where the Service Value Method was used to design solar nano-grids in Kenya and Bangladesh.

Citation

Clements, A., Wheeler, S., Mohr, A., & McCulloch, M. (2019). The Service Value Method for Design of Energy Access Systems in the Global South. Proceedings of the IEEE, 107(9), 1941-1966. https://doi.org/10.1109/jproc.2019.2901215

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 11, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Mar 15, 2019
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Feb 16, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 18, 2019
• Journal: Proceedings of the IEEE
• Print ISSN: 0018-9219
• Electronic ISSN: 1558-2256
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 107
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 1941-1966
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/jproc.2019.2901215
• Keywords: Energy access; System design; User-centric design; Nano-grids; Appropriate technology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1557564
• Publisher URL: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8667630
• Additional Information: © 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.
• Contract Date: Feb 16, 2019