Assessment of Factors Influencing Renewable Energy Adoption Process among Households in Urban Kenya, Case Study of Kisumu Central Sub- County in Kisumu City

Abstract

Enhancing adoption of renewable energy for households is an important step to realizing energy access. To make this happen it is important to know the factors that promote and inhibit adoption of renewable energy technologies. This study assessed factors influencing renewable energy adoption among urban households with a focus on Kisumu central sub county in Kisumu city. Specifically, the study assessed promoting and inhibiting factors to adoption as well as legal and regulatory frameworks influencing adoption. Descriptive method was used with the aid of survey leveraged on the Open Data Kit platform (ODK). Direct observation, content analysis as well as with the inclusion of a key informant interview. Secondary data analysis was done on review Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report on Kisumu County. Simple random sample 384 respondents were targeted but only 331complete responses were obtained. The data was analyzed using data analysis software SPSS to find the relationship between inhibiting and promoting factors with the adoption process. The study found out that there is a gap in policy development and implementation as 61% of respondents did not appreciate efforts by Kisumu County government in promoting adoption of renewable energy. The county concentration on promotion of adoption is focused on public uses like solar panels for street lighting and security posts within their settlements and market areas. The county government is piloting a programme to promote adoption of ethanol stoves and improve its efforts on awareness creation especially among poor households. The study probed adoption in a tripartite method being associated with knowledge of various renewable technologies, decision to buy the technologies and finally installing them for their household utilization out of which the study found that most respondents had knowledge of various technologies and had seriously thought of procuring them but few had them installed owing to lack of traders, limited information on technologies and expenses regarding acquisition, repair and maintenance of devices. The study further recommends adoption of a multi-disciplinary focus for adoption awareness involving the county government as the main promoter, local energy related non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) together with studies to gauge the extent in which the to be enacted Kisumu county bill on climate change and renewables will influence adoption among residents