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Early Adopters of Solar Panels in Developing Countries: Evidence from Tanzania

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  • Michael G. Smith
  • Johannes Urpelainen

Abstract

Who pioneers the adoption of solar home systems as a source of power in developing countries? While many scholars of electrification praise off-grid options, evidence on their adoption from nationally representative surveys is lacking. We test existing and new hypotheses using the 2007 Tanzanian National Household Budget Survey. Since the survey is nationally representative and has more than 10,000 respondent households, it is ideal for our purposes. We find modest support for the notion that wealthier households adopt more readily than poorer ones. Surprisingly, electrified households adopt solar home systems more readily than other households, suggesting that solar home systems provide backup power. We further find that larger households adopt more readily than smaller ones and that a rural location or high education levels do not predict solar power use. These findings suggest that new policies are needed to promote solar home systems in poor and rural areas, where their development effectiveness is maximal.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael G. Smith & Johannes Urpelainen, 2014. "Early Adopters of Solar Panels in Developing Countries: Evidence from Tanzania," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 31(1), pages 17-37, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revpol:v:31:y:2014:i:1:p:17-37
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/ropr.12061
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    Cited by:

    1. Mahn, Daniel & Best, Rohan & Wang, Cong & Abiona, Olukorede, 2024. "What drives solar energy adoption in developing countries? Evidence from household surveys across countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    2. Urpelainen, Johannes, 2016. "Energy poverty and perceptions of solar power in marginalized communities: Survey evidence from Uttar Pradesh, India," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 534-539.
    3. Alipour, M. & Irannezhad, Elnaz & Stewart, Rodney A. & Sahin, Oz, 2022. "Exploring residential solar PV and battery energy storage adoption motivations and barriers in a mature PV market," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 684-698.
    4. Fydess Khundi-Mkomba, 2021. "Are Urban Rwandan Households using Modern Energy Sources? An Exploration of Cooking Fuel Choices," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(2), pages 325-332.
    5. Vivien Kizilcec & Priti Parikh & Iwona Bisaga, 2021. "Examining the Journey of a Pay-as-You-Go Solar Home System Customer: A Case Study of Rwanda," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-26, January.
    6. Trotter, Philipp A. & McManus, Marcelle C. & Maconachie, Roy, 2017. "Electricity planning and implementation in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1189-1209.
    7. Robert Thomas, Daniel & Agrawal, Shalu & Harish, S.P. & Mahajan, Aseem & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2020. "Understanding segmentation in rural electricity markets: Evidence from India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    8. Isa Ferrall & Georg Heinemann & Christian von Hirschhausen & Daniel M. Kammen, 2021. "The Role of Political Economy in Energy Access: Public and Private Off-Grid Electrification in Tanzania," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-23, May.
    9. Best, Rohan, 2023. "Assets power solar and battery uptake in Kenya," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    10. Sikke R. Jansma & Le Anh Nguyen Long & Dasom Lee, 2023. "Understanding Energy Citizenship: How Cultural Capital Shapes the Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-19, February.
    11. Aklin, M. & Bayer, P. & Harish, S.P. & Urpelainen, J., 2018. "Economics of household technology adoption in developing countries: Evidence from solar technology adoption in rural India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 35-46.
    12. Urpelainen, Johannes & Yoon, Semee, 2017. "Can product demonstrations create markets for sustainable energy technology? A randomized controlled trial in rural India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 666-675.
    13. Cheng, Chao-yo & Urpelainen, Johannes, 2014. "Fuel stacking in India: Changes in the cooking and lighting mix, 1987–2010," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 306-317.

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