Integrated geospatial modelling for the achievement of universal energy access in Kenya

Abstract

Access to clean cooking and electricity are both targets of Sustainable Development Goal 7, with uneven progress. Peer-reviewed literature and policy documents have called for more integrated planning efforts accounting for both targets simultaneously. Here, we soft-link for the first time a geospatial electrification tool (OnSSET) with a geospatial clean cooking tool (OnStove) to allow for integrated planning in a case-study of Kenya. Integrated planning in this case refers to when electricity and clean cooking access are modeled for together. In 2021, 77% of Kenyans had access to electricity, but only 28% to clean cooking. The government has targeted universal electricity and clean cooking access by 2026 and 2028 respectively, and the country has considerable potential for electric cooking. Our results show how incorporating cooking demand in the electricity sector, favors centralized options as these benefit from economies of scale. On the clean cooking side, 77% of the population would have the highest net-benefit from adopting an electric option in the absence of integrated planning and these shares increase to between 85 and 91% in the integrated case. We find that an integrated approach is important for understanding the best way forward towards the achievement of SDG 7.