IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v77y2015icp11-20.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Renewable energy partnerships in development cooperation: Towards a relational understanding of technical assistance

Author

Listed:
  • Kruckenberg, Lena J.

Abstract

Recent decades have witnessed a surge in international programmes established to assist the adoption of renewable energy technologies (RETs) in low and lower-middle income countries. So far, such programmes have yielded mixed success. While partnerships between international, national and local organisations have become the pre-eminent model for RET programmes, we know relatively little about their contribution. This article traces the role of renewable energy partnerships in development cooperation, shifting the analytical emphasis from barriers and drivers to key actors and their relationships. It presents a relational approach for the analysis of development assistance for renewable energy, drawing on theories concerning the role of strong and weak ties in inter-organisational networks. Through an analysis of seven empirical cases from Central America, the article provides insights into how different forms of inter-organisational relationships can facilitate implementation of RET programmes but do not necessarily enhance the capacities of local organisations in a way to support a more sustainable adoption of RETs. On the basis of this analysis, theoretical and policy implications are given concerning the potential of relational approaches for researching technology diffusion processes, and the role of strong and weak ties for the success – or failure – of renewable energy partnerships.

Suggested Citation

  • Kruckenberg, Lena J., 2015. "Renewable energy partnerships in development cooperation: Towards a relational understanding of technical assistance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 11-20.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:77:y:2015:i:c:p:11-20
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2014.11.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421514005722
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.11.004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Adrian & Stirling, Andy & Berkhout, Frans, 2005. "The governance of sustainable socio-technical transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1491-1510, December.
    2. Karakosta, Charikleia & Doukas, Haris & Psarras, John, 2010. "Technology transfer through climate change: Setting a sustainable energy pattern," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(6), pages 1546-1557, August.
    3. Anne Parmigiani & Miguel Rivera-Santos, 2011. "Clearing a Path Through the Forest : A Meta-Review of Interorganizational Relationships," Post-Print hal-02313129, HAL.
    4. Raymond Van Wijk & Justin J. P. Jansen & Marjorie A. Lyles, 2008. "Inter‐ and Intra‐Organizational Knowledge Transfer: A Meta‐Analytic Review and Assessment of its Antecedents and Consequences," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(4), pages 830-853, June.
    5. Jonatan Pinkse & Ans Kolk, 2012. "Addressing the climate change sustainable development nexus: the role of multi-stakeholder partnerships," Post-Print hal-00707337, HAL.
    6. Glemarec, Yannick, 2012. "Financing off-grid sustainable energy access for the poor," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(S1), pages 87-93.
    7. Edwards, Michael & Hulme, David, 1996. "Too close for comfort? the impact of official aid on nongovernmental organizations," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 961-973, June.
    8. Jacobson, Arne, 2007. "Connective Power: Solar Electrification and Social Change in Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 144-162, January.
    9. Foley, Gerald, 1992. "Renewable energy in third world development assistance Learning from experience," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 355-364, April.
    10. Sarah Lister, 2000. "Power in partnership? An analysis of an NGO's relationships with its partners," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(2), pages 227-239.
    11. Hildy Teegen & Jonathan P Doh & Sushil Vachani, 2004. "The importance of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in global governance and value creation: an international business research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(6), pages 463-483, November.
    12. Peter Newell & Nicky Jenner & Lucy Baker, 2009. "Governing Clean Development: A Framework for Analysis," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 27(6), pages 717-739, November.
    13. Jacobsson, Staffan & Johnson, Anna, 2000. "The diffusion of renewable energy technology: an analytical framework and key issues for research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(9), pages 625-640, July.
    14. Chaurey, Akanksha & Krithika, P.R. & Palit, Debajit & Rakesh, Smita & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2012. "New partnerships and business models for facilitating energy access," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(S1), pages 48-55.
    15. Derick W. Brinkerhoff & Derick W. Brinkerhoff & Peter J. Morgan, 2010. "Capacity and capacity development: Coping with complexity," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 30(1), pages 2-10, February.
    16. van Alphen, Klaas & Hekkert, Marko P. & van Sark, Wilfried G.J.H.M., 2008. "Renewable energy technologies in the Maldives--Realizing the potential," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 162-180, January.
    17. van Eijck, Janske & Romijn, Henny, 2008. "Prospects for Jatropha biofuels in Tanzania: An analysis with Strategic Niche Management," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 311-325, January.
    18. Stephen P. Borgatti & Daniel S. Halgin, 2011. "On Network Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1168-1181, October.
    19. Balint, Peter J., 2006. "Bringing solar home systems to rural El Salvador: lessons for small NGOs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 721-729, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alana Corsi & Fabiane Florencio Souza & Regina Negri Pagani & João Luiz Kovaleski, 2021. "Technology transfer oriented to sustainable development: proposal of a theoretical model based on barriers and opportunities," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(6), pages 5081-5112, June.
    2. Molyneaux, Lynette & Wagner, Liam & Foster, John, 2016. "Rural electrification in India: Galilee Basin coal versus decentralised renewable energy micro grids," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 422-436.
    3. Banal-Estañol, Albert & Calzada, Joan & Jordana, Jacint, 2017. "How to achieve full electrification: Lessons from Latin America," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 55-69.
    4. Silva, Nuno & Fuinhas, José Alberto & Koengkan, Matheus, 2021. "Assessing the advancement of new renewable energy sources in Latin American and Caribbean countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    5. Ince, David & Vredenburg, Harrie & Liu, Xiaoyu, 2016. "Drivers and inhibitors of renewable energy: A qualitative and quantitative study of the Caribbean," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 700-712.
    6. Andrea A. Eras-Almeida & Tatiana Vásquez-Hernández & Merlyn Johanna Hurtado-Moncada & Miguel A. Egido-Aguilera, 2023. "A Comprehensive Evaluation of Off-Grid Photovoltaic Experiences in Non-Interconnected Zones of Colombia: Integrating a Sustainable Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-27, February.
    7. Mira Ghali & Dalia M. Ibrahiem, 2023. "Quantifying the Saved Social Costs of the Solar Energy Projects Funded by the EBRD in Egypt," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(5), pages 365-373, September.
    8. Enrique Cabello-Vargas & Azucena Escobedo-Izquierdo & Arturo Morales-Acevedo, 2021. "Review on Rural Energy Access Policies," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(5), pages 157-171.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. van Alphen, Klaas & van Ruijven, Jochem & Kasa, Sjur & Hekkert, Marko & Turkenburg, Wim, 2009. "The performance of the Norwegian carbon dioxide, capture and storage innovation system," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 43-55, January.
    2. Edsand, Hans, 2016. "Technological Innovation Systems and the wider context: A framework for developing countries," MERIT Working Papers 2016-017, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    3. Edsand, Hans-Erik, 2019. "Technological innovation system and the wider context: A framework for developing countries," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    4. Okereke, Chukwumerije & Coke, Alexia & Geebreyesus, Mulu & Ginbo, Tsegaye & Wakeford, Jeremy J. & Mulugetta, Yacob, 2019. "Governing green industrialisation in Africa: Assessing key parameters for a sustainable socio-technical transition in the context of Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 279-290.
    5. Roberts, Susan M. & Jones III, John Paul & Frohling, Oliver, 2005. "NGOs and the globalization of managerialism: A research framework," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1845-1864, November.
    6. Joshi, Lalita & Choudhary, Deepak & Kumar, Praveen & Venkateswaran, Jayendran & Solanki, Chetan S., 2019. "Does involvement of local community ensure sustained energy access? A critical review of a solar PV technology intervention in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 272-281.
    7. Hirmer, Stephanie & Cruickshank, Heather, 2014. "Making the deployment of pico-PV more sustainable along the value chain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 401-411.
    8. Markard, Jochen & Truffer, Bernhard, 2008. "Technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective: Towards an integrated framework," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 596-615, May.
    9. Erlinghagen, Sabine & Markard, Jochen, 2012. "Smart grids and the transformation of the electricity sector: ICT firms as potential catalysts for sectoral change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 895-906.
    10. Ismael Rafols & Patrick Zwanenberg & Molly Morgan & Paul Nightingale & Adrian Smith, 2011. "Missing links in nanomaterials governance: bringing industrial dynamics and downstream policies into view," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 36(6), pages 624-639, December.
    11. Naeem Ashraf & Alireza Ahmadsimab & Jonatan Pinkse, 2017. "From Animosity to Affinity: The Interplay of Competing Logics and Interdependence in Cross-Sector Partnerships," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 793-822, September.
    12. Konstantinos Karanasios & Paul Parker, 2018. "Explaining the Diffusion of Renewable Electricity Technologies in Canadian Remote Indigenous Communities through the Technological Innovation System Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-28, October.
    13. Rakas, Marija & Hain, Daniel S., 2019. "The state of innovation system research: What happens beneath the surface?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    14. Ben Zhang & Lei Ma & Zheng Liu, 2020. "Literature Trend Identification of Sustainable Technology Innovation: A Bibliometric Study Based on Co-Citation and Main Path Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
    15. Mercer, Nicholas & Sabau, Gabriela & Klinke, Andreas, 2017. "“Wind energy is not an issue for government”: Barriers to wind energy development in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 673-683.
    16. Wiegmann, Paul Moritz & Eggers, Felix & de Vries, Henk J. & Blind, Knut, 2022. "Competing Standard-Setting Organizations: A Choice Experiment," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    17. Hultman, Nathan E. & Malone, Elizabeth L. & Runci, Paul & Carlock, Gregory & Anderson, Kate L., 2012. "Factors in low-carbon energy transformations: Comparing nuclear and bioenergy in Brazil, Sweden, and the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 131-146.
    18. Scott, Inara, 2017. "A business model for success: Enterprises serving the base of the pyramid with off-grid solar lighting," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 50-55.
    19. Singh, Shiwangi & Dhir, Sanjay & Das, V. Mukunda & Sharma, Anuj, 2020. "Bibliometric overview of the Technological Forecasting and Social Change journal: Analysis from 1970 to 2018," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    20. Brinkerhoff, Jennifer M., 2002. "Assessing and improving partnership relationships and outcomes: a proposed framework," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 215-231, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:77:y:2015:i:c:p:11-20. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.