The dynamics of households’ adoption behaviour of solar home systems (SHSS) in Ashongman Estate in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

Abstract

Ghana heavily relies on hydrogenated and thermal electricity. For the past thirteen years, the dynamics of climate change and increasing fuel prices have engendered an electricity crisis since the supply of electricity cannot match the ever-burgeoning demand from households and industries. While this is so, the uptake of renewable energy sources has been abysmal in Ghana. This study thus seeks to assess the adoption behaviour of solar home systems, an environmentally friendly and convenient alternative electricity source by households in Ashongman Estate, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. Using a mixed research approach including binary logistic regression analysis, the study found that education, income levels, the performance expectation and housing tenure arrangements were crucial factors that determine the willingness of households to adopt the solar energy sources. We recommend that to encourage the uptake of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) which are environmentally sustainable, it is expedient that government collaborates with relevant stakeholders to provide solar home systems (SHSs)for households with the necessary technical capacity while putting financial policy measures in place to ensure their affordability regardless of socio-economic status. In addition, we recommend further studies to explore the role of incentives in solar home systems adoption to inform policies that will encourage their uptake.