The Energy Lock-In Effect of Solar Home Systems: A Case Study in Rural Nigeria

Olumide Hassan,Matthew Leach,Stephen Morse

doi:10.3390/en13246682

Abstract

Ongoing reductions in the costs of solar PV and battery technologies have contributed to an increased use of home energy systems in Sub-Saharan African regions without grid access. However, such systems can normally support only low-power end uses, and there has been little research regarding the impact on households unable to transition to higher-wattage energy services in the continued absence of the grid. This paper examines the challenges facing rural energy transitions and whether households feel they are energy ‘locked in’. A mixed-methods approach using questionnaire-based household energy surveys of rural solar home system (SHS) users was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Thematic analysis and a mixture of descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were applied. The results showed that a significant number of households possessed appliances that could not be powered by their SHS and were willing to spend large sums to connect were a higher-capacity option available. This implied that a significant number of the households were locked into a low-energy future. Swarm electrification technology and energy efficient, DC-powered plug-and-play appliances were suggested as means to move the households to higher tiers of electricity access.

Highlights

IntroductionEnergy plays a pivotal role in the social, economic and cultural development of any population [1].Energy from carriers (e.g., electricity) is converted via end-use technology (e.g., televisions, mobile phones, bulbs and mechanical fans) into useful household energy services (e.g., entertainment, communication, lighting and space cooling)
Energy plays a pivotal role in the social, economic and cultural development of any population [1].Energy from carriers is converted via end-use technology into useful household energy services
Household sizes tended to be in the 1 to 7 range for Lagos State communities (82% of households were in this category) but the figure was higher for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) communities with over a third of the households having 14 or more members

Summary

Introduction

Energy plays a pivotal role in the social, economic and cultural development of any population [1].Energy from carriers (e.g., electricity) is converted via end-use technology (e.g., televisions, mobile phones, bulbs and mechanical fans) into useful household energy services (e.g., entertainment, communication, lighting and space cooling). Energy supports income-generating activities including construction, agriculture and manufacturing. This is especially relevant for developing nations, who have been shown to exhibit a much larger increase in the Human Development Index (HDI). 550 million of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa [3]. Transitioning these people from traditional sources of energy (biomass and waste) to accessing modern energy such as that provided by electricity poses a major challenge. The importance of this challenge is encapsulated by the United Nation’s (UN)

Results

Discussion

Conclusion