Introduction

 In 2020, one out of ten people around the world did not have clean drinking water close to home. Such populations often subsist on very low-incomes and live in remote locations without access to electricity. The concurrent problems of inadequate energy access and lack of safe drinking water cannot be overemphasised and severely affect poor communities in developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This book addresses these intertwined challenges by focusing on deploying photovoltaic water pumping systems to meet local demand for sustainable, safe water access for domestic consumption. This chapter discusses the context that gave impetus to the need for this book, clarifies and defines useful terms, discusses deficient global water and electricity access and how these challenges are addressed in Africa. It goes on to discuss the particular interdisciplinary conceptual approach that is developed and illustrated here.