Low-cost LED flashlights and market spoiling in Kenya’s off-grid lighting market

Decentralized energy systems for clean electricity access

“…Furthermore, complex and often perverse policy environments impair entry for clean technologies and entrench incumbent systems (for example subsidies for liquid lighting fuels that reduce the incentive to adopt electric lighting 52 ). Finally, the prevalence of imperfect or inaccurate information about quality can lead to market spoiling 53 in early-stage markets where buyers' understanding of and experience with alternatives to incumbent lighting technology is limited.…”

Distributed Solar Quality and Safety in India: Key Challenges and Potential Solutions

“…A number of papers and online reports document observations and recommendations for PV system quality internationally (IRENA 2017) or in specific countries such as the United States and India (IRENA 2017;Chattopadhyay et al 2017;N 2018), Australia (IRENA 2017; Arthur et al 2017), and Kenya (Jacobson and Kammen 2007;Mills et al 2014;Duke, Jacobson, and Kammen 2002;Turman-Bryant et al 2015). These reports contain observations of quality issues (IRENA 2017; Jacobson and Kammen 2007;Mills et al 2014;Duke, Jacobson, and Kammen 2002) , and a study of successful quality improvement (Jacobson and Kammen 2007;Turman-Bryant et al 2015). The study of PV lighting quality in Kenya is particularly interesting because strategies were effective, and considerable quality improvements were observed (Turman-Bryant et al 2015).…”

Material Implications of Rural Electrification—A Methodological Framework to Assess In-Use Stocks of Off-Grid Solar Products and EEE in Rural Households in Bangladesh

“…Bensch et al [5] identified battery powered torches as an emerging waste management problem, as they are the default option for lighting in Ruanda and Senegal and latrines are being used for the disposal of the batteries. Furthermore, the quality of the torches sold on rural markets is low, resulting in average lifespans of less than two months [6]. The sustainability potential of the business models for delivering distributed renewable energies was highlighted [64].…”

“…These households rely on kerosene lamps, candles, and increasingly on battery-run flashlights for lighting [5,6]. Access to electricity can be achieved by extending the national grid, developing independent community-level grids, or providing individual household solutions (see Figure 1).…”