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

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.

A Green and Just Recovery from COVID-19?

“…The Solar Power Naija Plan may help to overcome one of the major barriers to the deployment of solar PV in Nigeria: the cost. Although these systems can be very cost-effective over time, the upfront cost (up to $400 for an 80 W system) of a solar home system in rural sub-Saharan Africa is too high for many households (Hassan, Morse, and Leach 2020). It remains to be seen whether other barriers will be overcome.…”

“…For example, there are technological issues to deal with; the capacity of a typical solar home system used in sub-Saharan Africa is also only in the 10-100 W range. Unsurprisingly, many households surveyed both in Federal Capital Territory and Lagos State in Nigeria are unsatisfied with this power capacity, especially in terms of the amount of light provided and the limitations on using a solar system to power appliances (Hassan et al 2020). Another barrier to the adoption of solar home systems in Nigeria is higher than average system failure rates: a solar electricity system's life span should range from twenty to twenty-five years (Akinyele et al 2018), but in Nigeria, they commonly fail within two to three years of installation due to poor maintenance (Adeleke 2016).…”