Exploring Energy Poverty among Off-Grid Households in the Upper Blinkwater Community, South Africa

Abstract

This paper explores energy poverty and its distribution among households in the Upper Blinkwater community, a typical remote South African community. Its selection was based on being the first identified to benefit from the pilot project implementing a decentralized hybrid mini-grid. We utilize the Foster–Greer–Thorbecke technique, which identifies households below the energy poverty line, measures the depth, and identifies those most vulnerable to energy poverty. A total of 53 households were interviewed by means of a questionnaire. The findings indicate a reliance on diverse energy sources such as wood for heating and LPG for cooking, which has enhanced community resilience and control over energy consumption, with greater proportions not affected by energy poverty. However, about 38% still experience energy poverty. The findings show that energy poverty is unevenly distributed within the community. Older individuals tend to have greater energy security, likely due to the stability provided by social grants. In contrast, female-headed households and lower-income families face the most significant challenges. The study concludes that there are substantial gender disparities and that lower-income households are particularly vulnerable to energy poverty. Therefore, we recommend gender-sensitive interventions to reduce the financial burdens on these vulnerable households, thereby improving their energy security.