Solar energy and natural disasters: Exploring household coping mechanisms, capacity, and resilience in Bangladesh

Abstract

We analyze the post-disaster energy use practices in rural Bangladesh and investigate whether the households are more likely to use solar energy during the disaster as a coping mechanism against electricity disruption. The relationship between solar energy usage and disaster resilience of disaster-prone households is examined through different dimensions. We perform a primary questionnaire survey of 500 households and apply the neoclassical random utility model for discrete choice decision-making based on the Probit Binary Response regression method for analysis. The results indicate that a household’s natural disaster experience, on average, increases the likelihood of post-disaster Solar Home System (SHS) use of the existing users by 13.1%. This result implies that SHS use is considered as a coping mechanism against natural disaster-induced electricity disruption by disaster-prone households. Another significant finding is that households changing the energy source to SHS during a calamity is associated with a 64.2% reduction in disaster damage, indicating improved resilience of SHS-using households against natural disasters. However, households that experienced damages from natural disasters are on average 19.9% less likely to use solar energy. The FGDs also help find different socioeconomic barriers to adopting the SHS, which include lack of access to credit and subsidy, affordability, reluctant perception towards NGO activities, and poor after-sale service. We recommend that the local government establishments and officials inform the people living in the off-grid, char areas about the benefits of the SHS and the available credit opportunities to adopt this technology.