Nandi Mbazima

Thesis title: The role of the private sector in upscaling renewable energy development in Zambia

Primary supervisor: Xavier Lemaire
Secondary supervisor: Adam Cooper

Start date: October 2017
Completion date: October 2022

To date, Zambia has largely relied on and still employs large hydropower to almost entirely supply electricity to the country. However, the compounding effects of changing rainfall patterns due to climate change, resource over-consumption, and increased electricity demand has resulted in a country in crisis where insufficient electricity provision has had a severe effect on productivity and economic growth. My research aims to explore strategies to upscaling renewable energy technologies in Zambia, by examining the current and potential role and contribution of the private sector, focusing on the social and policy dimensions and implications of developing small-scale renewable technologies in both urban and rural areas. It further proposes examining this impact on the Southern African Power Pool and on the Southern African Development Community (SADC). 

Biography

Nandi is a Doctoral Researcher at UCL’s Energy Institute in London. Her interests lie in energy access, sustainable and renewable energy development. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University, with a focus on environmental economics and policy. Following her graduation, she worked on renewable energy policy and advocacy issues for Technology Transition Corporation in Washington, DC, working to advance clean energy industries in the U.S. She also worked at the economics consulting firm Genesis Analytics in South Africa, where she conducted financial and economic project appraisal for projects related to climate-resilient, water and energy infrastructure development.