Access to sustainable and reliable energy in humanitarian contexts is a key enabler of the longer-term development of the refugees and their host communities. Yet, recent estimates suggest that more than 80 per cent of forcibly displaced people lack access to electricity and rely on solid biomass for cooking. This is particularly evident in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where numerous refugee settlements are located in areas where the host population also lacks access to electricity. Critical reasons for lack of access include the complexity of the decision-making process leading to the development of energy infrastructures in the hosting country and a severe lack of information on the energy needs of refugees. This project aims to collect field data and design a model for estimating the latent demand for electricity in refugee camps in Africa - necessary elements to optimally size mini-grids and directly address the ‘lack of information’ challenge. Moreover, the project aims to form a network of scholars and practitioners to scale up the work and build a program of transdisciplinary research to support UNHCR’s goal of providing sustainable electricity access to all refugees living in camp settings by 2030.

• dr. E.M. (Elena) Fumagalli

• Duccio Baldi