Unintended socio-economic transformations associated with large-scale renewable energy projects: the case of Menengai Geothermal Project in Kenya
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| Title: | Main Title: Unintended socio-economic transformations associated with large-scale renewable energy projects: the case of Menengai Geothermal Project in Kenya |
| Description: | Abstract: The transition to renewable energy solutions is rapidly becoming a necessity in the face of climate change. In Kenya, large-scale renewable energy infrastructures are mainly driven by Kenya Vision 2030 agenda that intends to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country and to achieve universal access to electricity. Subsequently, the Kenyan energy sector has developed very dramatically in recent years with a shift from hydro and diesel to geothermal and wind energy, thereby making the country a renewable energy pioneer in sub-Saharan Africa. Existing literature have documented the direct positive and negative impacts of large-scale renewable energy projects. However, little is known about the unintended consequences of large-scale renewable energy projects. Based on a study of Menengai geothermal project in Kenya, this paper highlights unintended changes linked to large-scale renewable energy projects. Specifically, these are changes related to population dynamics and settlement patterns, land ownership and prices, and additional business and employment which are not directly related to the project. The paper also highlights land use and land cover changes and their (potential) impact on food production and security. The paper argues that although low-carbon energy transitions in sub-Saharan Africa are economically and environmentally motivated, they can be associated with unintended, but profound socio-economic transformations which deserve more attention in both planning and research. |
| Identifier: | 10.1007/s10037-025-00240-4 (DOI) |
Responsible Party
| Creators: | Samuel Owour (Author), Cynthia Wamukota (Author), Britta Klagge (Author), Clemens Greiner (Author), Isaiah Nyandega (Author) |
| Funding Reference: | Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): CRC/TRR 228: Future Rural Africa: Future-making and social-ecological transformation |
| Publisher: | Springer Nature |
| Publication Year: | 2025 |
Topic
| TRR228 Topic: | Infrastructure |
| Related Subproject: | C2 |
| Subjects: | Keywords: Economy, Renewable Energy, Land Use Change, Infrastructure |
| Geogr. Information Topic: | Economy |
File Details
| Filename: | Owuor_etal_2025.pdf |
| Data Type: | Text - Manuscript |
| File Size: | 2.2 MB |
| Date: | Accepted: 21.03.2025 |
| Mime Type: | application/pdf |
| Data Format: | |
| Language: | English |
| Status: | Completed |
Constraints
| Download Permission: | Free |
| General Access and Use Conditions: | According to the TRR228DB data policy agreement. |
| Access Limitations: | According to the TRR228DB data policy agreement. |
| Licence: | [Creative Commons] Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) |
Geographic
Specific Information - Publication
| Publication Status: | Published |
| Review Status: | Peer reviewed |
| Publication Type: | Article |
| Article Type: | Journal |
| Source: | Review of Regional Research |
| Number of Pages: | 22 (1 - 22) |
Metadata Details
| Metadata Creator: | Britta Klagge |
| Metadata Created: | 28.04.2026 |
| Metadata Last Updated: | 28.04.2026 |
| Subproject: | C2 |
| Funding Phase: | 2 |
| Metadata Language: | English |
| Metadata Version: | V50 |
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| Page Visits: | 37 |
| Metadata Downloads: | 0 |
| Dataset Downloads: | 1 |
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Adequate reference when this dataset will be discussed or used in any publication or presentation is mandatory. In this case please contact the dataset creator.
