The A-B-C-D of rural electrification

A pilot project in Uganda demonstrated the viability of the A-B-C-D rural electrification model, which provides renewable power to anchor customers, businesses, community facilities, and domestic users. The project achieved a 90% reduction in diesel use for a cell phone tower and enabled year-round high-value crop production via solar-powered drip irrigation. Financial modelling suggests the model can be commercially viable at scale with initial development funding, leading to plans for expansion into Tanzania and Zambia.

• The A-B-C-D model was tested across four customer segments in Uganda: Anchor customers (cell phone towers), the Business sector (drip-feed irrigation), Community Facilities (borehole water pumping), and domestic users (pay-as-you-go solar lighting).
• Upgrading a cell phone tower in Seeta to a solar, battery, and diesel hybrid system reduced diesel consumption, CO2 emissions, and theft by over 90%, while meeting the high reliability standards (99.95% to 99.98% availability) required for such infrastructure.
• Solar-powered drip irrigation allowed small-holder farmers to plant high-yield tomato crops during the drier season, avoiding the price drops associated with the rainy season harvest and increasing overall profitability.
• Domestic solar lighting systems were distributed on a credit basis at a cost of $2 per week with no deposit, providing a cheaper and healthier alternative to kerosene lamps, which are linked to respiratory diseases.
• Financial modelling indicates that a distributed off-grid rural power company is viable in Africa at scale and can provide returns for impact investors if initial scale-up is supported by development funds.

APA

Livesey, A. (n.d.). The A-B-C-D of rural electrification. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/story/feature-b-c-d-rural-electrification

Chicago

Livesey, Alastair. The A-B-C-D of rural electrification. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/story/feature-b-c-d-rural-electrification.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Livesey |first1=Alastair |title=The A-B-C-D of rural electrification |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=https://cdkn.org/story/feature-b-c-d-rural-electrification |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{liveseyndabcd, author = {Livesey, Alastair}, title = {{The A-B-C-D of rural electrification}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/story/feature-b-c-d-rural-electrification}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }