Rural Electrification

Rural Electrification poses solutions to the insuperable modern challenge of providing 24/7 electricity for populations, housing and territory located outside towns and cities. The book reviews the historical development of rural energy systems, their status quo, and the role of renewable and fossil fueled solutions in delivering electricity. It addresses core issues of energy source typologies, resource deployment, fundamental challenges and limitations, the burgeoning threat of climate change, and the role of the renewable energy transition. Chapters account for almost all forms of fuel solutions, with a focus on electrification economics, planning, and policy using the most cost-effective fuels and systems available. Novel approaches to address the challenges of rural electrification, including distributed generation systems, new management and ownership models, off-grid systems, and future energy technologies are thoroughly explored. The work concludes with a comparative assessment of different energy supply technologies and scenarios, contrasting the pros and cons of fossil fuels versus renewable energy resources to achieve the goal of comprehensive rural electrification. - Provides a suite of new approaches to deliver and expand electrification across challenging rural environments - Describes optimal economics, planning and policy for electrification where there is no access to electricity - Reviews how practitioners can achieve cost reductions for rural energy supply using existing technologies - Addresses routes to power rural electrification within a transitioning energy economy while simultaneously accounting for climate change considerations

Dr. Najib Altawell is a researcher, consultant, and lecturer in renewable energy and fossil fuels, specialized in biomass commercial and technical aspects. He earned his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Nottingham, MRes in Nanotechnology and Nanoelectronics from Surrey University, BSc (Hon) in Computer Science from Westminster University, and PGC in Teaching from Greenwich University and PGCHEP in higher education programme from Plymouth University. Dr Altawell's current research interests include commercial, technical and economical aspects related to renewable energy, fossil fuels, hybrid sources of energy, rural electrification, off-grid electricity supply, nanotechnology and nanoelectronic, machine olfaction devices (electronic nose) and aspects related to computer science.