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The debate on the benefits of renewable electrification in late industrializing economies has mostly focused on improved electricity access and climate mitigation arguments. The literature pays less attention to understanding the opportunities for sustainable industrialization. This paper contributes to the latter with insights from a case study of Solinc East Africa, a Kenyan solar module manufacturer that has remained in the market, despite intense competition from imports of low-cost solar panels. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork in the solar energy sector in Kenya, we apply a global value chain framework to explore how and why Solinc has been able to sustain its business. Our findings highlight the challenges of localizing solar manufacturing in Kenya and suggest it may only be possible in rare instances. Specifically, a unique combination of circumstances and factors were revealed that enabled Solinc to gain several advantages including (i) initial access to knowledge and materials from upstream linkages; (ii) downstream integration and partnerships with key distributors and customers; (iii) close proximity to customers; and (iv) provision of complementary and increasingly high value-added services. Our findings present a more positive perspective on the localization of related services, which we argue deserves more attention in the sustainable industrialization debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the techno-economic feasibility of using grid-connected PV hybrid systems to supply power in large grid-dependent academic institutions. The study was conducted using the administration building of Moi University in Kenya. The power consumption profile of the building was collected using a PCE-360 power analyzer. The peak load demand was found to be 60 kW. Using random variability constants of 4% for day-to-day and 4% time-step load variability, a peak demand of 70.58 kW was obtained, which was used in our simulation. The solar radiation and temperature data for this site were collected from the weather station of the university. The hybrid system was simulated using HOMER Pro software. It was found from the simulation results that the optimal system was the solar PV/grid without battery storage, which had a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of KSH 8.78/kWh (USD 0.072), net present cost (NPC) of KSH 27,974,492 (USD 230,813), capital expenditure (CAPEX) of KSH 26,300,000 (USD 216,997), and a simple payback period (SPBP) of 5.08 years for a 25-year life span. This system, when compared to the existing grid, showed an 83.94% reduction in the annual electricity bill of the administration building. These results demonstrate a reduction in energy cost by a renewable energy fraction of 67.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]