Does energy access increase resilience against COVID-19?
Authors
Joseph Levine
Researcher, Wageningen University
Madison Levine
Research Associate, Wageningen University
Niccolò Meriggi
Country Economist, Sierra Leone, International Growth Centre
Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak
Professor of Economics, Yale UniversityVasudha Ramakrishna
Researcher, Yale UniversityLennart Sattlegger
Researcher, Wageningen University
Maarten Voors
Associate Professor, Wageningen University-
Langbeen-et-al-Working-paper-January-2022.pdf
PDF document • 2.46 MB
This working paper is based on research co-financed by IGC and Energy Economic Growth (EEG) in Sierra Leone and led by the Wageningen University in the Netherlands. The research compares 54 communities that received solar PV powered mini grids under a FCDO / UNOPS programme with 54 similar communities without mini-grids. The aim was to assess the economic impact of the provision of electricity in these circumstances. With the onset of the COVID pandemic the research also looked at whether access to electricity improved communities’ resilience against the wider impacts of the virus.
This is an interim report. Given the mini grids were only operationalised in 2020, research on the possible economic impacts resulting from access to them is expected to continue through 2022.
Learn more about this project on the EEG website.