Utility planning in bespoke off-grid utility infrastructure systems in South Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Geyer, Hermanus Stephanus | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Skipp, Kayla | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-03-05T15:13:28Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-04-26T19:45:50Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-03-05T15:13:28Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-04-26T19:45:50Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study evaluates the role of next-generation infrastructure within an infrastructural ecology paradigm to reconceptualise the transition to climate adaptive and resilient utilities which integrate the social, economic and environmental roles of utility systems in modern society. Globally, modern contexts require increased infrastructural sustainability and resilience. The study assesses the current state of utility infrastructure systems in South Africa and the manner in which these systems could integrate the economic, social, and ecological functions of utilities within an infrastructural ecology. The study argues that utility planners are crucial in solving current issues within utility systems, and are thereby crucial in shifting utility systems towards their goals of sustainability and resilience. Therefore, the study discusses practical development principles for utility infrastructure in line with an infrastructural ecology paradigm, as well as the role of the utility planner in developing sustainable, resilient infrastructure. The study critically analyses the roles of infrastructure in society, the challenges of traditional LTS utilities and the opportunities of next-generation infrastructure to alleviate the infrastructural challenges in South Africa. In particular, the study highlights the principles of next-generation infrastructure, in terms of its developing multifunctional uses for infrastructure, the co-location of utility functions, low-carbon utility diversification strategies as well as combining urban and natural ecosystem services through soft-path approaches. This also includes implementing communitysupportive strategies involving the community throughout the lifetime of the project, designing infrastructure to serve the community needs of the local community, and developing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies through strong public-private cooperation and shared information management systems. The study argues that next-generation infrastructure and infrastructural ecology requires a utility planning approach that emphasises complex multidisciplinary problem-solving to create multifunctional, co-located and networked infrastructure. The planner serves a key position in this process as a liaison between the different professional disciplines, local authorities and the local communities, to implement energy diversification strategies and the soft-path integration between utilities and ecosystems services. Utility planning also implements climate-adaptive strategies and community-supportive practices that involves communities rather than merely consults them. The research employed a mixed-method case study involving semi-structured interviews with a variety of urban development practitioners, and policy content analysis evaluation. The research results indicate that the historic LTS model is highly inefficient, resulting in an unequal distribution of utilities, high utility failure rates, high funding and maintenance costs, and community dissatisfaction with declining service delivery rates. Next-generation infrastructure has made significant breakthroughs in renewable energy and information systems, particularly in rural areas. However, many local authorities are reluctant to implement these innovations because of non-compliant local policies, jurisdictional fragmentation and special interests. Communities are also reluctant to accept these infrastructures and require significant amenity spillovers to accept the transitions. The policy analysis noted significant advances in infrastructural ecology within the different plans and policies, with a strong support for co-located infrastructure, energy diversification and community-supportive strategies. However, these plans lack a multifunctional approach to infrastructure and lacked synergy between the infrastructure initiatives. The plans also lack soft-path approaches to integrating utilities with ecosystem services. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsing evalueer die rol van volgende-generasie infrastruktuur binne 'n infrastruktuurekologieparadigma om die oorgang na klimaataanpasbare en veerkragtige diensteprogramme te herkonseptualiseer, om sodoende die sosiale, ekonomiese en omgewingsrolle van dienstestelsels in die moderne samelewing te integreer. Wêreldwyd vereis moderne kontekste verhoogde infrastruktuur volhoubaarheid en veerkragtigheid. Die studie beoordeel die huidige stand van infrastruktuurstelsels in Suid-Afrika en die wyse waarop hierdie stelsels die ekonomiese, sosiale en ekologiese dienstefunksies binne 'n infrastruktuur-ekologie kan integreer. Die studie voer aan dat dienstebeplanners deurslaggewend is vir die oplossing van huidige kwessies binne dienstestelsels, en dus deurslaggewend is om aan die doelwitte van volhoubaarheid en veerkragtigheid dienstestelsels te voldoen. Daarom bespreek die studie praktiese ontwikkelingsbeginsels vir diensteinfrastruktuur in ooreenstemming met 'n infrastruktuur-ekologieparadigma, sowel as die rol van die dienstebeplanner in die ontwikkeling van volhoubare, veerkragtige infrastruktuur. Die studie ontleed die rolle van diensteverskaffing in die samelewing, die uitdagings van tradisionele LTS-dienste en die geleenthede van volgende-generasie infrastruktuur om die infrastruktuuruitdagings in Suid-Afrika te verlig. Die studie beklemtoon veral die beginsels van volgende-generasie infrastruktuur, in terme van die ontwikkelende multifunksionele gebruike van dienste, die mede-vestiging van dienstefunksies, lae-koolstof dienstediversifikasiestrategieë asook die verenselwing van stedelike dienste en natuurlike ekosisteemdienste deur ʼn sagte-pad benadering. Dit sluit ook in die implementering van gemeenskapsondersteunende strategieë wat deurlopend die gemeenskap deur die leeftyd van die projek betrek, die ontwerp van infrastruktuur om die gemeenskapsbehoeftes van die plaaslike gemeenskap te dien, en die ontwikkeling van strategieë vir klimaatsversagting en -aanpassing deur sterk publiek-private samewerking en gedeelde inligtingbestuurstelsels. Die studie voer aan dat volgende generasie infrastruktuur en infrastruktuur-ekologie 'n dienstebeplanningsbenadering vereis wat klem lê op komplekse multidissiplinêre probleemoplossing om multifunksionele, saamgeleë en genetwerkte infrastruktuur te skep. Die beplanner dien 'n sleutelposisie in hierdie proses as 'n kern skakel tussen die verskillende professionele dissiplines, plaaslike owerhede en die plaaslike gemeenskappe, om energiediversifikasiestrategieë en die sagtepad-integrasie tussen dienste en ekosisteemdienste te implementeer. Dienstebeplanning implementeer ook klimaat-aanpasbare strategieë en gemeenskapsondersteunende praktyke wat gemeenskappe betrek eerder as om hulle net te raadpleeg. Die navorsing het gebruik gemaak van 'n gemengde-metode gevallestudie wat semigestruktureerde onderhoude met 'n verskeidenheid stedelike ontwikkelingspraktisyns, en beleidsinhoudanalise-evaluering behels het. Die navorsingsresultate dui daarop dat die historiese LTS-model hoogs ondoeltreffend is, en lei tot 'n ongelyke verspreiding van dienste, hoë mislukkingskoerse, hoë befondsings- en onderhoudskoste, en gemeenskapsontevredenheid met dalende diensleweringsyfers. Die volgende generasie-infrastruktuur het 'n beduidende deurbraak gemaak in hernubare energie en inligtingstelsels, veral in landelike gebiede. Baie plaaslike owerhede is egter huiwerig om hierdie innovasies te implementeer as gevolg van ontoepaslike plaaslike beleide, jurisdiksionele fragmentasie en spesiale belange. Gemeenskappe is ook huiwerig om hierdie infrastruktuur te aanvaar en vereis aansienlike geriefsoorvloeiings om die oorgange te aanvaar. Die beleidsontleding het beduidende vooruitgange in infrastruktuurekologie binne die verskillende planne en beleide opgemerk, met 'n sterk ondersteuning vir saamgelokaliseerde infrastruktuur, energiediversifikasie en gemeenskapsondersteunende strategieë. Hierdie planne het egter nie 'n multifunksionele benadering tot infrastruktuur nie en het 'n gebrek aan sinergie tussen die infrastruktuur-inisiatiewe. Die planne lei ook aan 'n gebrek aan sagte-padbenaderings om dienste met ekosisteemdienste te integreer. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xv, 66 pages : illustrations | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130497 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Electric power systems -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Renewable energy sources -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Energy consumption | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Sustainability -- Technological innovations -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Green technology | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Climatic changes -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject.name | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Utility planning in bespoke off-grid utility infrastructure systems in South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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