Stakeholders strategies in poverty alleviation and clean energy access: A case study of China's PV poverty alleviation program

Poverty reduction and access to clean energy are two challenges highlighted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. China's Photovoltaic (PV) Poverty Reduction Program provides an archetype model to address those two questions simultaneously. Using a tripartite game of government, enterprise and household, this paper examines the challenges that have impeded the development of China's PV poverty alleviation program. Based on an evolutionary game model and the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR) model involving the three major parties, this study shows that: (1) Governmental monitoring and the active participation of both enterprises and households are essential to achieve a win-win-win outcome; (2) the government plays a leading role in monitoring and encouraging the active participation of enterprises and households and resolving the conflicts between enterprises and households; and (3) households should have a minimum share in the project. The analyses imply the following policy suggestions such as ensuring optimal path selection for all parties, avoiding the abandonment of projects, increasing households' sense of ownership and creating accessible finance.