Unattainable proximity. A case study of solar power in central Burkina Faso

January 15, 2020 | 11:00 h - January 1, 2020 | 12:00 h

Speaker: Dr. Roberto Cantoni (ZEF associate researcher)

Title: Unattainable proximity. A case study of solar power in central Burkina Faso

Abstract:  In the village of Zagtouli, 12 km west of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, lies West Africa’s largest solar power plant. Yet, most citizens of Zagtouli do not seem to draw any benefit from it. This condition makes Zagtouli a reference case of energy injustice related to the development of renewable sources. This seminar analyses Faso’s recent energy policies and reflects on the paradox on unattainable proximity. It connects this concept to theoretical tools that have been devised in the last decade of social research on energy. The paper is based on an ethnographic case study conducted in Zagtouli in early 2019. I aim to investigate the following research question: What kind of energy policy informed the Faso’s government in designing the Zagtouli plant, and what role (if any) were citizens assigned within it?