Determinants of Rooftop Solar PV adoption among urban households in Ghana

Abstract

This study sought to help understand renewable energy (RE) technology adoption behaviour in developing economies. It examined the determinants of Grid-Connected Solar PV system adoption among 596 urban households in Ghana, drawn from three cities: Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. All logistic regression models used in analysing the data were taken to be statistically significant at p < 0.05. Six statistically significant variables were observed: awareness of the existence of a subsidy programme (coefficient = 4.66); household size (coefficient = 0.23); tenancy status (coefficient = 1.35 for landlords; coefficient = 0.83 for rent-free occupants); level of education (coefficient = 1.22 for tertiary education); and electricity expenditure (coefficient = −0.0007). Interacting the statistically significant socio-economic terms also revealed some variations. The results suggest that determinants of household adoption behaviour for Grid-Connected solar PV systems in Ghana vary in associated probabilities. Models to accelerate adoption must thus give different priorities to the diverse socio-economic attributes of households. Further randomised investigations will improve evidence quality for policy and model (re)development towards accelerating solar PV adoption in developing economies.