WMI-Research call-wPOWER-Research

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND VETERINARY
SCIENCES
WANGARI MAATHAI INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Research Scholarships Available – Call for Applications
Partnership on Women’s Entrepreneurship in Renewable (wPOWER)
Overview
The wPOWER hub, Wangari Maathai Institute, through this Request for Proposals
(RFP), invites research concepts from applicants interested in receiving research
support for their project/thesis for a Masters Degree at the University of Nairobi.
From the submitted Concepts, at least three to five applicants will be invited to
submit a full proposal, which, if accepted, will lead to award of research funds for the
project. The research work will be expected to provide high quality evidence-based
information on successful adoption, knowledge, attitudes and barriers towards clean
energy technologies, and the role of womens' entrepreneurship in advancing clean
energy adoption.
The role of women in addressing energy access and affordability is undeniable.
Women are a critical force in sustainably managing natural resources and increasing
energy access, which ultimately helps to combat climate change as well as improve
livelihoods and community health. Women also remain the primary users of smallscale efficient and clean technologies and perhaps determine the adoption rates of
various related technological options. Given this situation, the prospect of increasing
energy access and driving green growth through direct integration of women in the
energy access value chain is strong. However, there are currently several barriers
which hinder the full integration of women into the value chain. Some of these
barriers may include low access and awareness, financial constraints, cultural
barriers and poor marketing strategies. It could also be that the technologies that
exist today or are emerging do not address the multiple needs of a cooking/fire
place.
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wPOWER Hub- Wangari Maathai Institute
How to apply
For the purpose of this request for proposal, the Institute requests that the applicants
focus their concepts on any of the following issues.
A.
Gender dimension: Establish the gender dimensions in drivers of clean
energy technologies development and use. Who is involved in developing
what technologies and why? Establish also whether adoption of clean
cookstoves or even solar lighting is based on gender or otherwise and why
some technologies are preferred to others. The project seeks to understand
the gender impacts of household clean energy technologies adoption cooking and lighting - as well as the roles women play across the clean
energy value chain and the associated impacts.
B.
Availability of Clean energy technologies: Mapping of the existing clean
energy technologies - cookstoves, fuels and small home system solar
lighting- types around the country. There is the need to conduct
comprehensive mapping on the available technologies and also establish
what else exists in the communities that may need adoption, upscaling or
even value addition. This may also help us to understand or even explain
the low adoption rates for some of the newer technologies. The mapping of
the existing clean energy technologies could benefit from some secondary
data that is already in existence.
Awareness and marketing strategies: Awareness creation and
information sharing on the impacts of clean energy technologies has been
inadequate and is a critical research area of concern. These areas of study
can be integrated into consumer financing models, messaging and
marketing techniques and attitudes as well as knowledge around clean
energy technologies. The information gained would be relevant in devising
awareness raising campaigns and marketing strategies.
C.
D.
Culture, Attitude and behavioral changes: There is need to consider
establishing the linkages between adoption and cultural issues, as well as
the value the communities attach to each of the benefits associated with
traditional cook stoves vise a visa improved cook stoves. Some
investigations elsewhere had indicated that women were resistant to
adoption of some relevant technologies because they felt that the time
spent fetching wood is an important social exercise where they interact and
share with their friends. There is even anecdotal evidence that there are
cultural values attached to the traditional three-stone stove common in
many Kenyan homes. There is need to understand the existing
technologies among various Kenyan communities and their linkages with
cultural beliefs .The research may also explore the nexus involving energy,
food and nutrition security.
E.
Biomass fuels, their availability and switching factors: Inefficient
lighting and cooking contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, global
warming, and climate change, as well as degradation of natural resources
such as trees that are cut to provide cooking energy. Smoke from inefficient
cooking, lighting, and heating devices kill’s nearly four million people every
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wPOWER Hub- Wangari Maathai Institute
year globally, primarily women and children. Adoption of clean energy
technologies helps in reducing adverse health, environmental and climate
impacts. Depending on the locality and the choice of domestic source of
energy -urban, peri urban or rural - households are hesitant to adopt
technologies and fuels that are less convenient to them. The study will help
analyze why the biomass fuels remain as the prevailing energy choice in
90% of households in Kenya, the biomass energy value-chain and its
associated challenges, types of fuels availability visa a vies factors that
contribute to switching from traditional fuels, transition fuels and advanced
fuels. The energy ladder displays the use of energy versus income levels
dependent on emissions, efficiency and safety. However, experience has
shown that communities do not follow the typical energy ladder hypotheses,
but as income grows, the biomass remains still important component of the
portfolios while households diversify options. The research questions in this
segment could include but not exclusively: What factors influence the
choice of biomass fuels? What are the level of awareness of types of fuel
used and climate change; types of fuels used and health? To what extent
does fuels availability determine the type of stove to use? How does this
vary in rural, peri-urban and urban settings? More data on these questions
would held in understanding economic, cultural, gender, and other key
factors affecting the energy choice by households of different socioeconomic strata (along with urban vs. peri-urban vs. rural), and would help
predict the trajectories of how much biomass still play importance in
household energy provision, which will really guide policy debates for
sustainable biomass, rather than expecting the complete replacement of it
by “modern” energy
Concepts should be no longer than three (3) pages in length. The concept should
provide the title of the project, the proposed supervisors, the specific issue the study
is addressing and the expected outcomes, the timelines and the summary of the
budget required to carry out the study
Evaluation
Responses will be evaluated against criteria that include:
 Overall outline approach; coherence and relevance of proposed work plan
 Costs of the project
 Feasibility of the project in the time available
 Any additional evaluation criteria that the Institute considers relevant
The relative weighting and priority of these criteria will be at the wPOWER hub’s
discretion.
Applications must be completed and submitted electronically to the following e-mail
address (wmi@uonbi.ac.ke)
Deadline for application is 19th June 2015. Selected candidates will be invited for
interview on 29th June 2015.
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wPOWER Hub- Wangari Maathai Institute
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wPOWER Hub- Wangari Maathai Institute