Survey on overseas household solar container demand

Which countries have solar panel uptake based on household surveys?

We assess solar panel uptake from surveys for Cambodia, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, Liberia, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zambia. This combination of household surveys is possible due to the commonality of variables across countries.

How important is the size of solar panels in developing countries?

The size of solar panel systems is important in the context of developing countries. The multitier framework (MTF) provides a useful approach for categorizing solar systems (Dubey et al., 2019).

Are OECD countries more likely to use solar panels?

This contrasts with studies of OECD countries, which are more likely to use actual solar panel uptake (Best et al., 2023). There are several possible explanations for this outcome. Lower solar panel uptake in non-OECD countries is one contributing factor. In addition, data on actual uptake may be more comprehensive in OECD countries.

Should solar panels be adopted in developing countries?

The adoption of household solar panels would allow for a leapfrogging from traditional to modern energy sources (van Benthem, 2015). This concept is particularly important within the framework of developing countries, partly skipping the step of grid investment, which is quite costly and delays the transition to clean energy adoption.

Are solar panels a key cost constraint in developing countries?

Generally, robust links from assets to solar panel uptake suggest that policies to support households with lower levels of assets can be particularly relevant for policymakers to consider. This could be a novel approach that addresses the key upfront cost constraint in many developing countries.

What can future research tell us about solar adoption in developing countries?

Future research can build on our contribution of expanding research coverage for solar adoption in developing countries. Actual household-level data have great potential to add to the more common context of studies of intentions for some prior developing country studies.