In transition to a low-carbon economy, the adoption of renewable energy (RE) technologies by energy investors, power utilities and energy consumers is critical. In developing countries like Kenya with a high rate of urbanization, this transition requires urban and rural residents' proactive responses to using renewable energy sources. In this regard, a better understanding of residents' perceptions about renewable energy investment, RE sources availability, climate change, environmental conservation and other factors can lead to more efficient and sustainable implementation of renewable energy policies. This study investigates the role Kenya's household energy consumers in urban and rural areas can play in adopting renewable energy technologies. To achieve this, a questionnaire survey was administered among 250 household consumers in Nairobi County, Makueni County, and Uasin Gishu County. Our survey analysis shows that about 84% of the respondents were interested in adopting renewable energy for their entire energy consumption mostly because of solving frequent power outages and high energy cost from the grid system. This perception did not have any correlations with income levels or any other socio-economic factors we identified. Furthermore, about 72% of the respondents showed their interests in producing and selling renewable energy to the national or local grids if government subsidies were readily available. Rural residents showed strong interests in adopting renewable energy technologies, especially solar PV solutions. However, the main impediment to their investment in renewable energy was the high cost of equipment (49%) and the intermittent nature of renewable energy (27%) resources.

With technological advancement, demand side management has become important part of energy conservation in developed countries. In developing countries, it can also contribute to alleviating energy supply insecurity, but so far only a few countries have adopted it. This paper attempts to understand how administrative personnel in Kenya's government agencies, including energy research institutions, perceived about the acceptability and accessibility of demand side management among the electricity consumers. We conducted the questionnaire survey among government officials, independent power producers and researchers to identify their perceptions about public awareness, willingness, and practice of adopting demand side management. Our questionnaire also attempted to clarify the viability and the impact of implementing various demand side management options. The results show that about 68% of the respondents believed that the public had low awareness. About 62% were still optimistic that the electricity consumers would adopt demand side management in the future. In terms of educating the consumers about the importance of this management, about 72% were rarely engaged. As to the extent to which our respondents found the viability of various demand side management options, the respondent emphasized the importance of price-responsive demand (81%), renewable energy adoption by households (74%), energy efficiency and conservation (64%) and integration of smart appliances (61%). About 48% of the respondents believed that the peak demand would be reduced by over 50% by implementing these options.