Road-side solar shop in Nkhata Bay, Malawi

Road-side solar shop in Nkhata Bay, Malawi

I am a human geographer. I have just completed PhD candidate at UNSW Australia. My thesis explored how “how issues of energy justice are entangled in the adoption of household solar systems in Malawi”. I explored a number of issues of justice associated with market-based off-grid solar products sold in the Global South as a means to address energy poverty. This included issues such as affordability, product quality, household solar literacy, repairability and e-waste.

At present, I am involved in research relating to energy transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia. This includes issues relating to the right to repair, and the role of solar home systems in energy transitions.

I’m always keen to connect with academics who share similar interests (energy, development, geography) and explore avenues for collaboration. You can reach me at s.samarakoon@unsw.edu.au



Video

A short film summarising some preliminary research on the afterlives of off-grid solar products in Malawi.

Publications

Journal Articles

  • Samarakoon. S., Munro. P.G., Kearnes.M. & Zalengera. C. (2022). The afterlives of off-grid solar: The dynamics of repair and e-waste in Malawi. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. 42, 317-330.

  • Samarakoon, S., Bartlett, A., and  Munro, P.G. (2021) “Somewhat original: energy ethics in Malawi’s off-grid solar market”, Environmental Sociology, DOI: 10.1080/23251042.2021.1893428

  • Samarakoon, S., Christiansen, A., Munro, P.G, (2017), “Equitable and Quality Education for All of Africa? The Challenges of Using ICT in Education”, Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, Vol.16(6), pp.645-665, https://doi.org/10.1163/15691497-12341454

Book Chapters