Access to grid electricity in Botswana: Implications for energy transition in the Okavango Delta

Abstract

This paper discusses access to grid electricity in Botswana, particularly in the Okavango Delta, in order to advance knowledge on access to energy and the adoption of renewable energy technologies (RETs). The objectives of the study were to identify and assess the challenges of national and local electricity distribution, assess rural electrification initiatives, and determine the implications for energy transition to renewable energy sources. This is a cross-sectional study that used secondary data from literature sources and primary data derived from in-depth interviews with stakeholder representatives. Findings indicate that universal access to electrical energy in Botswana cannot be achieved solely through grid systems. Solar energy has the potential to provide electricity in remote areas. However, its development and adoption have neither been supported through subsidies nor placed at the centre of planning to achieve universal access to electricity in Botswana. Improved access to grid electricity has inadvertently reduced the importance of RETs, slowed down their development and even reversed initial gains in their adoption. Coupled with lack of enforcement policy for adoption, there is slow progress in the uptake of RETs in all sectors, including in the tourism sector in the Okavango Delta. There is need for policy, legislative and economic instruments, to support RETs adoption in all sectors of the economy in Botswana.