The rise of solar home systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Examining gender, class, and sustainability

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa has been hailed as a rising star with respect to the adoption of renewable energy technologies, including solar home systems (SHSs). So, how do forms of social difference shape the adoption of SHSs in sub-Saharan Africa? To address this question, this study conducts a systematic review of the academic literature on SHSs in sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings indicate that gender intersects with age, geographical location, and other inequalities to shape the adoption of SHSs. The adoption of SHSs may reproduce the structures that determine power and resource allocation at the local level. Because of various factors, including decision-making power, control over resources, gendered division of labour, and gendered domestic space, the uptake of SHSs has implications for how and when women perform household chores. From a Weberian perspective, the adoption of SHSs in several communities in sub-Saharan Africa is also grounded in class-based and status-based explanations. SHSs are powerful forces for the reproduction of power relations as well as vehicles for the reconfiguration of social hierarchies. Culture is a double-edged sword that both fosters the adoption of SHSs and hinders that adoption. Based on our analysis, we suggest opportunities for future research.