Household Energy Transition Research Articles

Adoption of a solar home lighting system: A behavioral paradigm shift from consumers to prosumers in the urban household energy transition of Punjab, India

Adoption of a solar home lighting system: A behavioral paradigm shift from consumers to prosumers in the urban household energy transition of Punjab, India

Adoption of smart energy apps and household energy practices: empirical insights from Norway

ABSTRACT This study examines the adoption and usage patterns of household energy apps among a sample of Norwegian households to explore their potential in visualising and controlling home energy consumption and influencing sustainable energy practices. Through a questionnaire survey of 150 respondents using energy apps, this study gathers empirical insights into adoption motivations, user perceptions and factors associated with self-reported changes in household energy practices. Findings indicate that app-related factors, such as perceived app insights applicability, ease of use, and appealing user interface, are more positively associated with self-reported changes in daily energy habits than demographic factors. This research underscores the importance of prioritising user experience and data security in app development to foster sustainable energy practices. It also offers practical recommendations for targeted engagement strategies and policy interventions to promote the wider adoption of smart energy apps and maximise their potential to facilitate household energy transitions.

The impact of land-use policy on household energy transition: Evidence from China's conversion of cropland to forestland program

The implementation of the Conversion of Cropland to Forestland Program (CCFP) has affected land-use patterns and biomass availability in China, consequently reshaping household energy consumption patterns. Utilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this study employs a multinomial logit model to examine the impact of CCFP subsidies on household energy transitions, analyzed through the lenses of the energy ladder and energy types. Additionally, this study differentiates the effects of CCFP subsidies across households with varying characteristics. The empirical results reveal that, from the energy ladder perspective, CCFP subsidies hinder household energy transitions from biomass to both traditional and advanced commercial energy sources. From the energy type perspective, the subsidies impede transitions from biomass energy to coal, electricity, and LPG/LNG. These adverse effects may be attributed to the CCFP subsidy's role in increasing biomass supply and encouraging the use of biomass energy equipment. Moreover, the impacts of CCFP subsidies differ among households based on education level, location, and degree of engagement in farming. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering land use policies and patterns in the formulation of energy policies aimed at promoting energy transition and alleviating energy poverty.

The rise in female consciousness contributes to advancing household energy transition: Evidence from Chinese households

Gender is an indispensable dimension, gender equality and empowering all women are core elements in transitioning to sustainable energy. However, current research on how female consciousness impact energy fairness remains insufficient. To fill this gap, utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), encompassing 16,000 households and 43,147 respondents, we explore how female consciousness influences energy transition. The findings reveal that a rise in female consciousness contributes to advancing household energy transition, particularly in eastern and urban areas where this effect is more pronounced. Further moderating effect analyses indicate that improved levels of female education and heightened female income further enhance the effective utilization of female awareness in driving household energy transition. The study not only deepen our understanding of the relationship between female consciousness and energy transition but also provide a scientific basis for developing energy policies promoting gender equality in developing countries, thus fostering global gender equality and sustainable energy development.

Climate shocks, adaptive mechanisms and household energy transition in Uganda

Nearly 41% of the global populace depends on unclean fuels for cooking. As a result, about 4 million premature deaths connected to household air pollution are registered annually. Worryingly, over 2.1 billion people are estimated to continue using unclean fuels by 2030 if no strong policy actions are taken to alter the status quo. Climate parameters including; temperature, solar radiation, wind, and moisture have been widely touted as having an impact on multidimensional energy poverty, their effect on household energy consumption and subsequent transition to cleaner fuels is seldom investigated in Uganda. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of climate shocks, and adaptation mechanisms on household energy transition in Uganda. The study adopted a panel data methodology employing an ordered logit model with random effects to estimate the effect of climate shocks and adaptation mechanisms on household fuel transition from high to low-pollutant cooking fuels in Uganda. The findings revealed that climate shocks, adaptation mechanisms significantly affect household energy transition in Uganda. The study recommended that policies aimed at enhancing detection and report of early warning signs should be emphasized. Furthermore, investing in an insurance scheme especially for people living in climate shock prone areas can help households to cope up with shocks are eventually transition to clean cooking fuels.

Perceived satisfaction and household fuel transition: evidence from Ugandan households

IntroductionThe dominance of biomass for cooking has implications for the country. For instance, biomass conversion using traditional technologies (three stone) in poorly ventilated kitchens produce smoke that influences the reproductive health outcomes for expectant mother. Beyond health outcomes, uncontrollable harvesting of biomass for cooking contributes to environmental degradation. Unfortunately, biomass in form of firewood, charcoal, plant and animal wastes is widely consumed by more than 94% of Ugandan households for cooking. This paper examined whether perceived satisfaction plays a significant role in household energy transition in Uganda.MethodsThe study adopted a panel data methodology employing an ordered logit model with random effects to estimate the effect of perceived satisfaction on household fuel transition from high to low pollutant cooking fuels in Uganda. The data used was obtained from Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBoS) which is mandated by an Act of parliament to develop and maintain a national statistics system to ensure collection, analysis and publication of integrated, relevant, reliable and timely statistical information.Findings and discussionOur findings demonstrate that perceived satisfaction influences household fuel transition decisions in Uganda. The study concluded by suggesting policy recommendations for government action.

Research on the Mechanism of Two-Way Interaction between Digital Economy and Household Energy Transition in China

Research on the Mechanism of Two-Way Interaction between Digital Economy and Household Energy Transition in China

Research on the Coupling Mechanism between Digital Economy Development and Household Energy Transition in China

In order to explore the relationship between the digital economy and China's household green energy structure and utilization efficiency, an empirical test is conducted based on the data of 31 Chinese provinces from 2015 to 2022 using a two-way panel fixed-effects model as well as a coupling model. The results show that the digital economy has a significant positive effect on household green energy structure and utilization efficiency; secondly, this paper focuses on the bi-directional relationship between the two, and finds that the overall coupling situation is good, and the digitalization level and household green energy utilization efficiency in the regions under the "inverted triangle" pattern are highly coupled. The study finds that the overall coupling is good, and the digitalization level and household green energy utilization efficiency in the "inverted triangle" pattern are highly coupled. This study provides a reference for accelerating the national energy transition, boosting China's digital economy in the reverse direction, and providing green and digital kinetic energy for realizing the overall high-quality development of the economy.

Energy transitions across household distributions in northern India

This paper investigates sustainable household energy transitions including a reduction in kerosene lamp use and increases in solar home systems and solar lanterns. We use a large and detailed survey of around 9,000 households in northern India in 2015 and 2018. Our key analytical insights focus on inequality across economic and wealth distributions, including the lack of major distributional changes between the two survey waves. We find that a positive relationship between economic resources and solar home system use is driven by the upper end of economic distributions. Kerosene use is also substantially lower for the top of the economic distribution, especially in the 2018 survey. In contrast, economic resources have a weak relationship with solar lantern use. Future policies can be devised with reference to our results showing a more robust relationship between assets, rather than income, and household energy transitions. The stronger influence of assets is evident for a range of asset variables and for a composite wealth index which we construct. Detailed analysis of socio-economic distributions has value for informing policy attempts to target support to constrained households.

Rural household nonagricultural income and energy transition: Evidence from central China

Promoting China's energy transition is essential for achieving low-carbon development and achieving the nation's carbon neutrality target. Previous research has primarily focused on industrial production energy consumption transition paths, and rural household energy consumption has rarely been investigated. This study focuses on the impact of nonagricultural income on rural household energy consumption in the Huang-Huai-Hai region using questionnaire data, examining the contribution of rural households' nonagricultural income to the energy consumption transition (i.e., from dirty energy sources such as firewood to clean energy sources such as liquified petroleum gas (LPG)). Instrumental variable two-stage least squares (IV-2SLS) estimation and IV-tobit models are applied to solve potential endogeneity problems. The results demonstrate that nonagricultural income can promote rural households' energy structure transformation, increase spending on clean energy such as LPG and electricity, and decrease expenditure on dirty energy sources such as coal and firewood. Further examination reveals that nonagricultural income can enable rural households to afford modern necessities and transition to cleaner, more efficient energy. The study proposes promoting rural energy structure transformation to boost sustainable development and increase nonagricultural income. Strengthening skills training, encouraging more off-farm employment, and other approaches will diversify rural households' income.

Rural household energy transition in China: Trends and challenges

Against the backdrop of both environmental and health issues caused by inefficient combustion of solid fuels in households, the transition to clean energy is a critical development imperative. This study uses publicly available administrative data spanning nearly 30 years at the provincial level to characterize the “business as usual” (BAU) energy transition in China's rural household sector in order to inform interventions needed to achieve clean energy goals. We first describe the temporal trends and spatial characteristics of energy transitions over the past three decades. We then use a simple two-way fixed effects model to estimate the role that household income growth plays in this transition process. Finally, we predict the timeline for the BAU rural energy transition with an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. Our results show that China's rural household sector has gradually undergone a consistent but geographically uneven transition over the past three decades. Compared with warmer provinces without indoor heating, where a 1000 RMB increase in per capita income is associated with a 5–10% increase in the share of clean energy, in provinces with heating needs the predicted effect is less than 2%. ARIMA model projections suggest that without policy interventions, for most provinces in northern China the share of clean energy would remain less than 40% by the year 2050. The “clean heating program” implemented in the North China Plain in 2015 has therefore advanced the energy transition by 10 years in just the 3 years between 2015 and 2018. Together, these results show the potential for interventions in helping spur energy transitions.

Residential energy transition and chronic respiratory diseases

Obtaining clean energy is of prime importance for planetary health and sustainable development. We aimed to assess the association between residential energy transition and the risk of chronic respiratory diseases. Using data from the Global Health Observatory and Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, we delineated the spatial distribution and temporal trends of the population using clean fuels for cooking at a global scale. In the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we performed rigorous and well-structured multistage analyses incorporating both cross-sectional and prospective data analyses to examine the associations between solid fuel use, residential energy transition, duration of solid fuel use, and the risk of chronic respiratory diseases. Despite great progress, huge disparities in access to clean energy persist globally. Residential energy transition was associated with a lower risk of chronic respiratory diseases. In the period of 2011-2013, compared with persistent solid fuel users, both participants who switched from solid to clean fuels (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-0.98) and persistent clean fuel users (adjusted RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.89) had significantly lower risk of chronic respiratory diseases (p<0.001 for trend). Consistent associations were observed in the period of 2011-2015 and 2011-2018. Household energy transition from solid to clean fuels could reduce the risk of chronic respiratory diseases. This is a valuable lesson for policy-makers and the general public to accelerate energy switching to alleviate the burden of chronic respiratory diseases and achieve health benefits, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Characteristics, Drivers and Transitions of Household Energy Consumption in China: An Overview

Energy plays a crucial role in our daily lives, not only as a basis for survival and development, but also as a national strategy. This paper focuses on household energy consumption, which is a key factor in promoting economic development and social progress. Globally, household energy consumption accounts for 25-30% of the total energy consumption, and in China it accounts for 12.4% of the total national energy consumption, making it the second largest force after the first major energy consumer. Since household energy consumption is closely related to climate change, ecological quality, and population health, this paper analyzes the current situation of household energy in China, and conducts a literature review from three key aspects: first, it discusses in depth the characteristics and trends of household energy consumption, and reveals its important position in the global and domestic consumption patterns; second, it examines the drivers that influence household energy consumption, including household size, economic level, geographic location, and many other factors; finally, it focuses on household energy transition and explores the key issues of sustainable energy and green low-carbon transition. Through the review of the literature, this paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding for future research and policy development to effectively address the environmental, ecological and social issues that may arise from household energy consumption.

Understanding the characteristics of the household energy transition in a developing country

Understanding the energy transition process in developing countries is crucial to implement policies to reduce the use of traditional fossil fuel-based energy sources, which increase pollution, worsen global climate change, and negatively impact people's health. Existing literature indicates that households account for approximately 25% of total energy consumption for consumption and production activities. However, understanding the energy consumption patterns of choices of energy sources and their determinants has largely been neglected in the existing literature. As such, this study uses the multivariate probit model to identify the factors influencing household energy choices in Vietnam, using data from 2016 to 2020 from the Vietnamese Households Living Standard Surveys (VHLSS). Our study focuses on how households' multiple occupations, particularly in rural areas, affect energy sources choices. We find that households participate in different agricultural sub-sectors simultaneously, resulting in differential access to multiple energy sources. Households engaging in cultivation, forestry, and animal husbandry activities are more likely to choose coal, fuelwood, and biomass as the primary energy sources for production and daily uses. In contrast, higher household income and household head with higher education level also increases the likelihood of choosing cleaner energy choices for daily uses and production activities. In addition, our empirical findings confirm the validity of the "energy stacking” hypothesis rather than the “energy ladders" hypothesis – two contrasting hypotheses concerning household energy transition in the literature. Policy implications have emerged based on the findings of this paper to enhance the clean energy transition in Vietnam in achieving sustainable economic development and social transformation and her commitment to combating global climate change issues.

How does early-life famine experience influence household energy transition?

The transition of households towards cleaner energy is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals. However, the impacts and associated mechanisms of early-life experiences on household energy transition have not been considered. Based on data from the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey, this study aimed to investigate whether people experiencing China's Great Famine (1959–1961) in their early life promoted household energy transition in adulthood. The varying severity of the Great Famine in different provinces was characterised as a quasi-natural experiment and was used to perform difference-in-differences (DID) estimation analysis for birth cohorts. The results showed that the transitions from firewood, agricultural waste, and animal waste to liquefied petroleum gas and electricity were significant in households with the Great Famine experiences. Specifically, the long-term energy transition effect of the famine was exhibited mostly in those who experienced the famine during childhood (4–11 years old) and adolescence (12–17 years old). Besides, early-life famine experiences led to poor physical health, and more modern forms of energy, such as electricity, were consumed to avoid further deteriorating health. Early-life famine experience also brought psychological trauma to people at that time, which led them to increase Internet use to gain emotional support, and the increased Internet use provided better access to information about the energy transition. Moreover, the household energy transition influenced by early-life famine experience occurred more in female-headed, rural, more educated, and low-income households. Our results illustrated the role of early-life famine experience in household energy transition and provided new insights into developing effective energy policies.

Decoding the shift: Assessing household energy transition and unravelling the reasons for resistance or adoption of solar photovoltaic

The transition to a sustainable economy with technological innovations has gained momentum in emerging economies. Among these innovations, household-based solar systems have emerged as one of the rapidly expanding sources of low-carbon power globally, possessing the potential to become the largest renewable energy source by mid-century. However, there is still a need to investigate the transition process of solar PV systems, considering the components affecting the acceptability or resistance of solar PV systems among households, particularly in Ghana. To address this, the current research employed thematic analysis through semi-structured questions with 22 heads of households, including both solar photovoltaic adopters and non-adopters. The interviews were designed to elicit attitudes, values, and reasons shaping households' motivations to embrace or resist solar PV systems. The results indicate that household values and attitudes in addition to context-specific variables such as cost implications, performance expectancy, technological complexity, and market design are major reasons against solar PV adoption whereas energy independence, cost saving, peer effects, and environmental concerns are pivotal reasons for solar PV adoption among the Ghanaian households. This study offers a comprehensive assessment of various factors that impact household behavior in Ghana's energy sector toward solar PV adoption. It provides valuable insights that can fuel the switch to sources of clean energy and inspire change in both developed and emerging economies, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change. These findings offer novel perspectives to energy stakeholders, managers, policymakers, governments, and experts about household behaviors toward adopting solar PV systems.

Spatiotemporal characteristics and driving mechanisms of household energy transition in rural China: Micro-evidence from 2005 to 2017

Facilitating the household energy transition in rural China conducive to mitigate climate change, improve population health, and achieve ‘carbon peaking and carbon neutrality’ goals. However, there was no consensus in existing research on the regularity of rural household energy transition from a micro perspective. Based on data from 339 villages spanning 2005–2017, with the help of kernel density estimation(KDE), exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA), and logistic regression, we evaluated the effectiveness of household energy transition and comprehensively analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of the energy transition process from geographic perspective, revealed the driving mechanisms behind household energy transition, with important findings. (i) In 2005–2015, 19.22 % and 13.08 % of rural households achieved fuel and heating transition, but there were evident regional differences and correlation effects in energy transition. (ii) The proportion of energy transitions increases, yet always a polarised lattice phenomenon, and the spatial adjacent spillover effect makes the energy transition present the spatial pattern of ‘villages divided into clusters’. (iii) The drivers of different types household energy transition vary, income and topography continued to limit the energy transition of rural households. Therefore, designing differentiated policies and pathways by region is critical in the clean energy transition. In addition, local governments can increase incentives for clean energy utilization by setting reasonable subsidies for continuous clean energy transition.

Off-farm employment and household clean energy transition in rural China: A study based on a gender perspective

Although numerous studies in developing countries have increasingly focused on the important implications of off-farm employment for the success of rural energy transition, it is easy to ignore the fact that determining who to employ in off-farm sectors can impact household energy transition decisions differently. Based on the nationally representative data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) 2015 survey, this study tries to fill the gap and examines the interaction between off-farm employment decisions between couples and household clean energy consumption in rural China by providing a new view towards gender. The results show that two-paycheck households consume more clean energy than other household types. Off-farm employment of women is a key factor driving the household clean energy consumption to a higher level, and wage-employed wives contribute more to these decisions than self-employed ones.

Geospatial determinants of maternal and child exposure to fine particulate matter in Kintampo, Ghana: Levels within the household and community, by surrounding building density and near roadways.

Personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from household air pollution is well-documented in sub-Saharan Africa, but spatiotemporal patterns of exposure are poorly characterized. We used paired GPS and personal PM2.5 data to evaluate changes in exposure across location-time environments (e.g., household and community, during cooking and non-cooking hours), building density and proximity to roadways. Our study included 259 sessions of geolocated, gravimetrically-calibrated one-minute personal PM2.5 measurements from participants in the GRAPHS Child Lung Function Study. The household vicinity was defined using a 50-meter buffer around participants' homes. Community boundaries were developed using a spatial clustering algorithm applied to an open-source dataset of building footprints in Africa. For each GPS location, we estimated building density (500 m buffer) and proximity to roadways (100 m buffer). We estimated changes in PM2.5 exposure by location (household, community), time of day (morning/evening cooking hours, night), building density, and proximity to roadways using linear mixed effect models. Relative to nighttime household exposure, PM2.5 exposure during evening cooking hours was 2.84 (95%CI = 2.70-2.98) and 1.80 (95%CI = 1.54-2.10) times higher in the household and community, respectively. Exposures were elevated in areas with the highest versus lowest quartile of building density (FactorQ1vsQ4 = 1.60, 95%CI = 1.42-1.80). The effect of building density was strongest during evening cooking hours, and influenced levels in both the household and community (31% and 65% relative increase from Q1 to Q4, respectively). Being proximal to a trunk, tertiary or track roadway increased exposure by a factor of 1.16 (95%CI = 1.07-1.25), 1.68 (95%CI = 1.45-1.95) and 1.27 (95%CI = 1.06-1.53), respectively. Household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels in sub-Saharan Africa is a major environmental concern for maternal and child health. Our study advances previous knowledge by quantifying the impact of household cooking activities on air pollution levels in the community, and identifying two geographic features, building density and roadways, that contribute to maternal and child daily exposure. Household cooking contributes to higher air pollution levels in the community especially in areas with greater building density. Findings underscore the need for equitable clean household energy transitions that reach entire communities to reduce health risks from household and outdoor air pollution.

Assessing the Impact of Household Energy Transition on Winter Indoor Air Quality in Rural Beijing, China: Field Evidence and Implications

Assessing the Impact of Household Energy Transition on Winter Indoor Air Quality in Rural Beijing, China: Field Evidence and Implications