http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/867 (5) Articles avaiable Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:25:42 GMT 2026-04-13T17:25:42Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/999 Assessment Of The Potential Adoption Of Liquefied Petroleum Gas For Cooking In Urban Households And Institutions In Malawi Chiumia, Admore Samuel More than 96% of Malawians relied on wood fuels (firewood and charcoal) for cooking and heating in 2018. About 4 million people in the country now use charcoal for cooking in urban areas which; has led to loss of forests resulting into increased run off, siltation of rivers and consequently depletion of water resources in lakes and rivers in Malawi. This research aimed to assess the potential adoption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as an alternative fuel to charcoal and firewood. Slovin’s Formula was used to calculate sample size in which a total of 1200 households were interviewed. Further laboratory tests showed LPG as more efficient as a cooking fuel than electricity, charcoal, and firewood. Thermal efficiencies were recorded as LPG 68.1% (6kg LPG stove), electricity 56.2 (2kw hot plate), firewood 25.3%, improved firewood stove and Charcoal 23.2%, improved charcoal stove. The surveys conducted found that institutions used multiple cooking fuels depending on factors such as availability and cost. While electricity was the most preferred cooking fuel by institutions (54.5%), LPG was reported as the back-up fuel for 100% of the institutions surveyed. LPG is perceived as an affordable fuel option by 26.3% of the institutions surveyed. At the household level LPG-users reported benefits of efficiency (39%); reliability (37%) and cleanliness (27%). While the majority of high income urban households use electricity for cooking, the majority of low and medium income urban households use charcoal for cooking. The research highlighted limited knowledge of LPG efficiency and safety among potential users. These barriers to LPG uptake are compounded by the fact that LPG is perceived to be more expensive than other cooking fuels, there is less LPG supply, and the LPG distribution network is less developed than other cooking fuels. Despite these challenges, the market assessment revealed considerable potential for LPG market growth in Malawi, especially in urban areas where prices of charcoal continue to grow. intermittent electricity supply and low cost have proven to be key drivers of LPG demand. The researcher recommends that the Government of Malawi through MBS and MERA, facilitate harmonization of local and international standards of LPG gas handling and distribution to effectively support and regulate the sector. In conclusion to ensure Malawi’s energy/environmental security, it is imperative that alternative cooking fuels (such as LPG) be promoted, incentivized, and adopted in Malawian household. A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Physics and Biochemical Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of a Degree of Master of Philosophy in Applied Sciences (Renewable Energy). Fri, 01 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/999 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/906 Exploring opportunities for public-private partnerships in small scale hydropower plants for rural electrification in Malawi: a case study of Bondo micro hydropower plant Chaponda, Precious At 2% of the total population, the low rural electrification status for Malawi is a crucial topic. This is because electricity is directly linked to socioeconomic development. To increase the electrification status, knowing that the private sector has enormous resources, the Government of Malawi (GoM) has been calling for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in power projects, including Small Scale Hydropower Plants (SSHPs). However, it is now over a decade since GoM started calling for the PPPs and there are no PPPs in the sector. Are there opportunities for PPPs in SSHPs for rural electrification in Malawi? This was the research question. A deductive approach was used to answer the research question, with Bondo Micro Hydropower Plant (MHP) being used as a case study. The legal and regulatory framework for PPPs and rural electrification was analysed and it has been found that the framework allows for all types of PPPs and Bondo MHP can be implemented as a PPP. The power consumption of Bondo community was analysed and it has been characterised as having a low load factor, low productive use and low ability to pay, which result in low revenue; willingness to pay is however high. Considering that Bondo is an agriculture community, revenue streams can be improved by investing in agriculture and food processing. Financial analysis was carried out on Bondo MHP under different technical and financial factors and assumptions using RETScreen. It has been established that the power plant has a financial return that is lower than 34%, the commercial base lending rate during the study; hence, it is unlikely to attract private investors. Modelled as a 40:60 public to private investment, the MHP is likely to be financially viable only when the capacity factor is increased from 47%, capacity factor during the study, to over 60%, and when the investment cost and the interest rate on private capital are lowered. Thus, a PPP can be a reality in Malawi where investors are able to develop a SSHP with a high capacity factor at a low cost and interest on loan. Improvement of revenue streams is also a key component for the PPPs to succeed. Submitted to the Department of Physics and Biochemical sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Applied Sciences, Renewable Energy Tue, 01 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/906 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/905 Factors influencing adoption of off-grid community-based solar photovoltaics in Chikwawa district, Malawi Namakhwa, Collins Duke As there are limited opportunities for grid expansion in developing countries whose populations are growing and demand for energy increasing, rural electrification is slowly being achieved through use of off-grid technologies. Community solar photovoltaics (CSPVs) are being seen as the means through which off-grid electrification can be diffused to rural areas. The purpose of this study was to determine and analyse factors that influence adoption of CSPVs in Chikwawa, Malawi. A sample of 309 respondents was drawn from 5 communities where CSPVs had been installed to collect quantitative data using a Likert-type questionnaire on the five attributes that influence adoption in Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Model: relative advantage, trialability, compatibility, observability and complexity. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews and desk research provided insights into the CSPV market and project policies. The study found that adoption of CSPVs in Chikwawa was facilitated by relative advantages derived from using the CSPV, compatibility with their occupations and social norms and observability effects. It is concluded that a rural CSPV adoption strategy that uses Roger’s Model is modulated by gender and occupational differences of the target market in perceiving the attributes that influence relative advantage, observation and compatibility. It is therefore recommended that CSPV adoption strategies should include rural market segmentation in gender and occupational lines Submitted to the Department of Physics and Biochemical Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Renewable Energy) Sun, 01 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/905 2018-04-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/904 Climate change impacts on hydropower generation in Malawi: a case study of Lujeri micro hydropower scheme in Mulanje district Kachaje, Osborne The production of hydroelectric power depends, among others, on discharge which is in turn affected by seasonal and quantitative changes in precipitation and evaporation. Climate change has caused changes in the weather patterns over Malawi, extreme episodes of rainfall and temperatures and has affected hydropower generation by reducing flows (discharge). This is the case with Lujeri hydropower – the subject. The study involved collection of hydrological (river discharge) and weather time series (air temperature and rainfall) data. The data was logically interpreted using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), XLSTAT and Microsoft Excel. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis was used to determine marginal changes in the climatological time series data. Mann-Kendall (MK) test was used to detect trends in air temperature, precipitation and discharge. Correlation analysis was also used to uncover the relationship between discharge and precipitation as well as between discharge and temperature. The results showed that distribution of annual rainfall in Mulanje area (for period 1959 to 2011) has decreased at the rate of about 2.97 mm per year. The MK test gave a mix of positive and negative trends for the monthly precipitation. Only the month of January showed a positive significant trend while February, March, April, May, June September, and November had a significant negative trend. All three seasons showed decreasing trend in precipitation and the negative trend was statistically significant for cool and wet season. Similarly, temperature analysis revealed a rising trend of about 0.04 °C every year which led to high evaporation. The MK test for temperature results showed a significant increasing trend for both mean monthly and mean maximum temperature. This resulted in decrease in the Ruo River’s, location of Lujeri micro-hydropower, annual mean discharge. Analysis on MK test revealed that there was a positive trend in discharge in the months of January, February, March, April and December. The increase in trend was significant for February, March and April. The results also indicated a statistically significant negative trend in discharge for the rest of the months of the year apart from May. Furthermore, there was a small positive correlation between rainfall and discharge (r = 0.09) although the increase in discharge due to rainfall was not significant (p = 0.55). On the other hand, the relationship between temperature and discharge showed a large, negative correlation (r = - 0.64) and the relationship was significant (p = 0.0001). This means that continued increase in temperature will result in a decrease in discharge. As power generated is proportion to discharge, variation in the river discharge will have direct impact on hydropower vii generation. Therefore, proper adaptation measures were explored to ensure electric power is available throughout the year especially in the hot and dry season, when the discharge is very low. Submitted to the Department of Physics and Biochemical Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Applied Sciences [Renewable Energy]. Sun, 01 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/904 2017-10-01T00:00:00Z