CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2017
| Author | Carr-Wilson, Savannah |
|---|---|
| Title | Lighting the Lives of Millions: Overcoming barriers to the diffusion of off-grid solar lighting products in Kenya and Bihar, India |
| Summary | Millions of people in Bihar, a state in northern India, and Kenya, located in eastern Africa, live in rural areas without access to the electricity grid. Most of these people rely on dangerous, low-quality lighting sources such as kerosene, which can cause fires, respiratory illness, and environmental harm. Although governments in these areas are taking steps to extend the grid, progress is slow. An alternate solution, off-grid solar lighting products such as solar lanterns and solar home systems, is increasingly seen as an effective way to provide people with improved light. Yet, despite the fact that markets for solar lighting products started in both Bihar and Kenya in the 1980s, Bihar’s has seen stunted growth while Kenya’s has thrived. The aim of this thesis, one part of a two-part joint study, was to investigate why. Applying Cherp et al. (2016)’s three perspectives on national energy transitions to data collected via a literature review and extensive qualitative interviews conducted in both areas, this thesis concluded that the Bihar sector faces many political and socio-technical barriers to its growth, including a harmful kerosene subsidy, that are the mirror image of Kenyan drivers—where expensive kerosene promotes growth of the sector. Bihar also lacks important drivers present in Kenya, such as a pay-as-you-go business model that has led to explosive market growth. This thesis concludes with recommendations for how the Bihar sector can overcome significant barriers to its growth, based on insights from the Kenya case study. |
| Supervisor | Cherp, Aleh |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2017/carr-wilson_savannah.pdf |
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