The optimism that the world will be heading for 100% renewable energy has recently heightened within academia and policymakers. This paper interrogates the prevailing energy patterns in Lesotho, where households depend on multiple energy sources, combining renewables and non-renewables. While there is increased access to grid electricity and solar technologies, the data reveals a persistent reliance on biomass, paraffin, coal, and liquefied petroleum gas. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork, the study demonstrates that the current trend is not merely transitional but is shaped by distinct socio-economic and infrastructural realities. Three key factors underpin the continued preference for energy combinations. First, renewable energy penetration in rural areas remains limited. Second, affordability concerns, particularly the cost of connection and usage, severely constrain households. Third, precautionary behaviours in response to unreliable electricity supply and the perceived inefficiency of some renewable technologies push households to keep alternative sources on standby. Efforts to abandon fossil-based energy use will remain aspirational unless energy transitions account for these patterns and the reasons behind them. Meaningful progress towards sustainable energy in Lesotho requires a deliberate shift in how communities are engaged. Strategies must move beyond top-down electrification, but instead emphasise local knowledge and user priorities, which are key.
{"title":"Transitioning to cleaner solutions and moving away from precautionary energy stacking in Lesotho households.","authors":"Seroala Tsoeu-Ntokoane, Moeketsi Kali, Xavier Lemaire","doi":"10.1007/s43937-025-00080-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-025-00080-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The optimism that the world will be heading for 100% renewable energy has recently heightened within academia and policymakers. This paper interrogates the prevailing energy patterns in Lesotho, where households depend on multiple energy sources, combining renewables and non-renewables. While there is increased access to grid electricity and solar technologies, the data reveals a persistent reliance on biomass, paraffin, coal, and liquefied petroleum gas. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork, the study demonstrates that the current trend is not merely transitional but is shaped by distinct socio-economic and infrastructural realities. Three key factors underpin the continued preference for energy combinations. First, renewable energy penetration in rural areas remains limited. Second, affordability concerns, particularly the cost of connection and usage, severely constrain households. Third, precautionary behaviours in response to unreliable electricity supply and the perceived inefficiency of some renewable technologies push households to keep alternative sources on standby. Efforts to abandon fossil-based energy use will remain aspirational unless energy transitions account for these patterns and the reasons behind them. Meaningful progress towards sustainable energy in Lesotho requires a deliberate shift in how communities are engaged. Strategies must move beyond top-down electrification, but instead emphasise local knowledge and user priorities, which are key.</p>","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"5 1","pages":"24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12382153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144972018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-10DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00040-w
Joseph Elasu, Joseph M. Ntayi, M. Adaramola, Faisal Buyinza, Ronnette Atukunda, Muhamad Ngoma
{"title":"Climate shocks, adaptive mechanisms and household energy transition in Uganda","authors":"Joseph Elasu, Joseph M. Ntayi, M. Adaramola, Faisal Buyinza, Ronnette Atukunda, Muhamad Ngoma","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00040-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00040-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"12 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141920651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-16DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00034-8
Le Phuong Nam, Nguyen Thi Bich Hang, Nguyen Van Song, Louie Marie T. Eluriagac
{"title":"Examining the non-linear impact of fossil and renewable energy consumption on Vietnam’s ecological footprint: insights from the asymmetric ARDL approach","authors":"Le Phuong Nam, Nguyen Thi Bich Hang, Nguyen Van Song, Louie Marie T. Eluriagac","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00034-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00034-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"16 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141643910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-06-14DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00032-w
Soumitra Nath
{"title":"Biotechnology and biofuels: paving the way towards a sustainable and equitable energy for the future","authors":"Soumitra Nath","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00032-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00032-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141342628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-15DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00031-x
Halefom Kidane, Istvan Farkas, Janos Buzás
{"title":"Assessing the carrying capacity of solar dryers applied for agricultural products: a systematic review","authors":"Halefom Kidane, Istvan Farkas, Janos Buzás","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00031-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00031-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"15 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140974891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-18DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00029-5
T. Akintunde, Bosede E. Akanbi, Matthew Adagunodo, A. Akintunde
{"title":"Assessment of health consequences of fossil fuel energy use in Osun state, Nigeria: burden and implications","authors":"T. Akintunde, Bosede E. Akanbi, Matthew Adagunodo, A. Akintunde","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00029-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00029-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":" 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140690064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tri-chalcogenides (Sb2S3/Bi2S3) solar cells with double electron transport layers: design and simulation","authors":"Md Amanullah Saifee, Urosa Latief, Javid Ali, Mohd. Shahid Khan","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00028-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00028-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"436 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140771941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-27DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00027-7
Lin Sun, Xiaojie Huang, Jing Liu, Jing Song
{"title":"Remaining useful life prediction of lithium-ion batteries combined with SVD-SDAE and support vector quantile regression","authors":"Lin Sun, Xiaojie Huang, Jing Liu, Jing Song","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00027-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00027-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"99 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140377623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-22DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00026-8
Marcio Cataldi, Maria de Las Nievez Espinosa Martínez, Sonia Jerez, J. Montávez, Larissa Haringer Martins da Silveira, Jairton Dupont, Marcos Alexandre Teixeira
{"title":"Balancing cleaner energy and geopolitical interests in the complex transition of the European electricity mix: from Fukushima to the Ukraine war","authors":"Marcio Cataldi, Maria de Las Nievez Espinosa Martínez, Sonia Jerez, J. Montávez, Larissa Haringer Martins da Silveira, Jairton Dupont, Marcos Alexandre Teixeira","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00026-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00026-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140439992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-02-08DOI: 10.1007/s43937-024-00025-9
C. Ndeke, Marco Adonis, Ali Almaktoof
{"title":"Energy management strategy for a hybrid micro-grid system using renewable energy","authors":"C. Ndeke, Marco Adonis, Ali Almaktoof","doi":"10.1007/s43937-024-00025-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43937-024-00025-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29973,"journal":{"name":"Discover Energy","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139851764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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