Perceived sustainability effects of energy access through nanogrids in rural Madagascar: A mixed-methods analysis of connected users and implementation stakeholders

Nanogrids have recently attracted growing attention as an option for decentralised rural electrification, as they require little upfront investment and can be expanded as demand grows. While their technical and economic viability is increasingly documented, their broader sustainability effects have so far remained unexplored. This study provides the first assessment of the sustainability effects of nanogrid electrification, using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as the organising framework. The assessment covers eight villages in the Diana region of northern Madagascar, where nanogrids constitute the first reliable electricity supply. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design combined a structured survey of 100 connected end-users with nine semi-structured interviews with implementation stakeholders. The respondents perceive predominantly positive effects across the majority of goals, with the strongest effects on education, energy access and community life. The interviews extend these gains to local employment, informal micro-enterprises and spillovers that reach households without a connection of their own. Furthermore, the data analysis reveals an affordability constraint, as a substantial share of the community appears to remain excluded by the cost of a connection. The findings show that nanogrids deliver a multidimensional sustainability benefit at the smallest decentralised scale, while pro-poor financing is needed to extend this benefit to the households still left out. Methodologically, the study introduces a mixed-methods design to SDG-based impact assessment and demonstrates how such frameworks can be adapted to their deployment context.