Management of environmental impacts of fossil fuel use in refugee camps through transition to renewable energy infrastructure: case studies in Uganda and Bangladesh
Management of environmental impacts of fossil fuel use in refugee camps through transition to renewable energy infrastructure: case studies in Uganda and Bangladesh
Many refugee camps exist for decades but associated infrastructure needs are only planned for the very short term, including provision of power. This study advocates a shift in approach to sustainable electrification of essential services in refugee camps for lighting, refrigeration, health, water, education, alongside camp operations. Qualitative and quantitative surveys were conducted in refugee camps in Uganda and Bangladesh which assessed the electrical supply needs across such categories. A range of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems (Solar Home Systems, AC/DC mini grids) and their emission mitigation potential were modelled based on survey data. Proposed designs were compared with presently-used diesel systems in terms of applicability, environmental impact and economics. Results indicate significant cost savings are achievable through the PV systems deployment for different areas in two major refugee camps. Estimated savings range from USD31,000–140,000 and USD166,000–653,000 for five-year and twenty-year project lifetimes respectively. These savings apply to sub-areas of much larger camps, with potential savings increasing substantially if scaled to the whole camp. Results indicate that PV-battery systems were more cost-effective than diesel, even for five-year projects, with investments recoverable in second year of operation. Furthermore, replacing the existing 50 kW diesel generator in Bidi-bidi camp with a 40kWp PV-battery system would result in a reduction of 2.4 MtCO2e over a 20-year project lifetime. Adopting presented approaches will enhance humanitarian service provisions, reducing both cost and emissions. These findings are applicable to many refugee camps in Africa and Asia that have similar solar resource and lack of grid access.
Climate mitigation, Mini-grids, Photovoltaics, Refugee camp, Renewable energy, Solar home systems
Bahaj, AbuBakr S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
Alam, Majbaul
4ae5e89d-1588-461f-be4c-8bdbc39b8b2c
Blunden, Luke S.
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
9 January 2025
Bahaj, AbuBakr S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
Alam, Majbaul
4ae5e89d-1588-461f-be4c-8bdbc39b8b2c
Blunden, Luke S.
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
Bahaj, AbuBakr S., Alam, Majbaul and Blunden, Luke S.
(2025)
Management of environmental impacts of fossil fuel use in refugee camps through transition to renewable energy infrastructure: case studies in Uganda and Bangladesh.
Journal of Environmental Management, 374, [124039].
(doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124039).
Abstract
Many refugee camps exist for decades but associated infrastructure needs are only planned for the very short term, including provision of power. This study advocates a shift in approach to sustainable electrification of essential services in refugee camps for lighting, refrigeration, health, water, education, alongside camp operations. Qualitative and quantitative surveys were conducted in refugee camps in Uganda and Bangladesh which assessed the electrical supply needs across such categories. A range of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems (Solar Home Systems, AC/DC mini grids) and their emission mitigation potential were modelled based on survey data. Proposed designs were compared with presently-used diesel systems in terms of applicability, environmental impact and economics. Results indicate significant cost savings are achievable through the PV systems deployment for different areas in two major refugee camps. Estimated savings range from USD31,000–140,000 and USD166,000–653,000 for five-year and twenty-year project lifetimes respectively. These savings apply to sub-areas of much larger camps, with potential savings increasing substantially if scaled to the whole camp. Results indicate that PV-battery systems were more cost-effective than diesel, even for five-year projects, with investments recoverable in second year of operation. Furthermore, replacing the existing 50 kW diesel generator in Bidi-bidi camp with a 40kWp PV-battery system would result in a reduction of 2.4 MtCO2e over a 20-year project lifetime. Adopting presented approaches will enhance humanitarian service provisions, reducing both cost and emissions. These findings are applicable to many refugee camps in Africa and Asia that have similar solar resource and lack of grid access.
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Accepted/In Press date: 3 January 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 January 2025
Published date: 9 January 2025
Keywords:
Climate mitigation, Mini-grids, Photovoltaics, Refugee camp, Renewable energy, Solar home systems
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 499266
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499266
ISSN: 0301-4797
PURE UUID: 2e35e8e3-c6ed-4a2e-832c-1c9c4e83fabb
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Date deposited: 13 Mar 2025 17:33
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:20
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Author:
Majbaul Alam
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