Ambivalences of decentralized renewable energies – Towards self-determination or reproduction of postcolonial power relations?

The United Nations proclaimed the years between 2014 and 2024 to be the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, and the SDG 7 emphasizes the necessity of universal energy access. Development policies increasingly see decentralised supply structures as a viable solution to achieve that goal. From a postcolonial perspective however, it is also relevant whether renewable decentralized en- ergies enable more local control and reduce dependency relations. Technology critics in the ‘70s and ‘80s saw this potential. In the field of energy and development, various debates and under- standings of decentralization converge. First the paper traces back the theoretical debates and policies of decentralisation. Secondly it examines two current case studies of German-Tanzanian partnerships of technology development, domestic biogas and solar home systems. As a result, both case studies can be described as decentralized structures with regard to some aspects, and as cen- tralized structures with regard to others. The paper shows that decentralized renewable energies do not automatically lead to the reduction of dependency relations or a socially just implementa- tion. It aims to sensitize against such underlying assumptions or narratives, because they can im- pede a more accurate and critical view on decentralized renewable energy projects.