Even though solar home systems are becoming cheaper and easier to access, barriers to their adoption persist among remote communities in developing countries, where solar panels can promote health and education, according to a new study of two rural villages in Ethiopia.
Affordable but uncertified and substandard solar panels, coupled with minimal government involvement in the rural energy-transition process, are among the key factors that hinder access to reliable electricity for local communities.
At the same time, when solar panels are added to homes, they offer a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to kerosene lamps, and they support education by providing children electric light to study past sundown.
For the study, Lee travelled to Ethiopia in the summer of 2023 to interview people in three locations. She interviewed government and institutional workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, at the epicenter of the grid system; and local leaders and residents in the Geta Data Zone beyond the 25 kilometer buffer from the existing grid and in the Kaffa Zone within the 25 kilometer buffer zone.
She found rural people were very open to adopting solar panels. “Having light at night has educational effects, allowing children to do homework and study longer,” Lee said. “All 16 households that were interviewed responded that they had no intentions of going back to using kerosene in the future.” Traditionally, young girls collect firewood for cooking, but when solar electricity can power stoves, it frees up time for girls to go to school, she added.
Click here to read more cornell.edu
Photo Credit: istock-shansekala
Categories: New York, Energy