Determinants of Rooftop Solar PV adoption among urban households in Ghana

This study sought to help understand renewable energy (RE) technology adoption behaviour in develop-ing economies. It examined the determinants of Grid-Connected Solar PV system adoption among 596 urban households in Ghana, drawn from three cities: Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. All logistic regression models used in analysing the data were taken to be statistically significant at p < 0.05. Six statistically significant variables were observed: awareness of the existence of a subsidy programme (coefficient = 4.66); household size (coefficient = 0.23); tenancy status (coefficient = 1.35 for landlords; coefficient = 0.83 for rent-free occupants); level of education (coefficient = 1.22 for tertiary education); and electricity expenditure (coefficient = -0.0007). Interacting the statistically significant socio-economic terms also revealed some variations. The results suggest that determinants of household adoption behaviour for Grid-Connected solar PV systems in Ghana vary in associated probabilities. Models to accelerate adoption must thus give different priorities to the diverse socio-economic attributes of households. Further ran-domised investigations will improve evidence quality for policy and model (re)development towards accelerating solar PV adoption in developing economies.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study examined the determinants of Grid-Connected Solar PV system adoption among urban households in Ghana and found six statistically significant variables that influence household adoption behavior. The results suggest that these determinants vary in associated probabilities and call for prioritizing diverse socio-economic attributes in models to accelerate adoption. Further research is needed to improve evidence quality for policy and model (re)development in developing economies.