Article link here: doi.org/10.1016/j.er...

This article is very STS-y, draws on fieldwork that we both conducted in Lebanon, and also does a big old review of the generator literature. If you're into energy transitions, the anthropology of energy or critical macrofinance, this article's for you.

Plus, the failure of big development finance and national grids has meant generators pop up to meet growing demand. Generators don't care about neoliberal finance feelings!

Generators are often a necessary precondition for solar rollouts around the world. Without that backup, micro-grids just couldn't work.

Hello Wim, can't DM you but would love to review your book!

Thank you so much Benjamin! Your data were totally crucial to convincing us that there is a global story to unpack here. We'd really love your perspective on the paper

The article is out in ERSS soon (it's already gone through initial peer review) and the preprint is here. dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.... 13/13

So until we 'solve' the storage question, diesel generators are here to stay. That brings all sorts of political and economic questions around who governs and maintains generator systems. Ask any resident of Lebanon or Nigeria! 12/13

For me this last one is the most interesting argument: that renewables buildout (for now at least) is conditioned by fossil fuel expansion. But it's decentralised fossil fuel expansion, which we tend to forget when thinking about big coal and fossil gas plants. 11/13

3️⃣ Generators provide essential backup for renewables. So even when solar is being installed (as it is in massive volumes around the world), diesel generators are there for cloudy and rainy days. 10/13

2️⃣ Attempts to modernise and expand grids through private capital have failed (surprise!). Strangely, people won't wait until investments are 'de-risked' to access electricity: they'll just buy a generator or literally rent the wires. 9/13

1️⃣ Generators are a reliable, tried-and-tested technology. They're a combination of electromagnets and internal combustion engines, aka technologies that loads of car companies produce. Most of them get made in wealthier industrialised countries. They're also cheap to install and repair. 8/13

So why are generators so popular all of a sudden all around the world? In our paper, we suggest three reasons. 7/13

We learnt that (at least!) 17 countries have more generator capacity than grid generation. Insane. Thanks to @benjaminattia.bsky.social for those stats. 6/13