Question

Part 2: For a self-financing village, upfront costs are very important, especially since the per-capita income in Mali is about USD $700 per year. Compare the capital cost of the diesel system to the capital cost of the solar+battery system described earlier in this section (1 point). Then, state in about 100 words which system you would expect to be more common in this region and why (2 points). Consider how a local villager would see both the ecological and economic costs.

Answer 1

As the upfront cost is more important, due to the low per capita income in Mali, so the diesel system would be more common in this region. Taking help from Maslow's hierarchy, which is as

• Physiological Needs
• Safety Needs
• Social Needs
• Esteem Needs
• Self-Actualisation Needs

It clearly states that first the individuals think about satisfying their basic needs and then consider the ecological requirements. As the per capita income of people of Mali is low, they will first consider the economic needs and then the ecological needs. So diesel system would be more common in this region than the solar-battery system.