The Status and Determinants of Solar Photovoltaic Technology Utilization by Rural Households in Gozamin Woreda, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Solar Photovoltaic technology has been advanced in the world as a renewable energy source many years ago. The progress of the technology is due to its social, economic and environmental benefits. However, utilization of solar photovoltaic technology by rural households in Ethiopia is a recent phenomenon with low rates of use. Hence, this study was conducted to meet the aim of exploring the status and determinants of solar photovoltaic technology utilization by rural households in Gozamin woreda. Three kebeles were purposively selected to conduct the study. Simple random and stratified sampling methods were used to get representative samples. Primary data and secondary information were also collected from households and reports, magazines, journals, etc. A total of 190 representative household samples were selected. Binary logit model was used to analyze the correlation between utilization of solar photovoltaic technology and explanatory variables. Descriptive statistics was also conducted to analyze the functionality, patterns and constraints of SPV technologies. The result of descriptive statistics showed that all the diffused technologies were functional. Despite this, 23.4 percent of SPV technologies fail to function once or twice per month due to weather conditions and technical incapability. Lighting was the major pattern of use by all (60) users. Additionally, 78.3 and 18.3 percent of the users use the technology for mobile charging and making petty trades respectively. The major constraints of SPV utilization were awareness gap, price increment and SPV providers shortage comprising of 70, 26.7 and 3.3 percent respectively. Moreover, the result of the binary logit model showed that age and income affected utilization of solar photovoltaic technology significantly with (P<0.01 and P<0.1) respectively. Similarly, wealth status, awareness creations made, providers of the technology, house quality and price of the technology also affected utilization significantly (P<0.05). Conversely, family size, agricultural land size, education level, market access, human capital and quality of technology explanatory variables were assumed to affect utilization, but they do not affected utilization of the technology. Suggesting distribution, financial and government institutions to make awareness, encourage more individuals to be provider of SPV technologies and avail long term credit access in order for the technologies to be bought.