{"id":31223,"date":"2025-05-07T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T09:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/?p=31223"},"modified":"2025-05-07T15:45:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:45:17","slug":"solar-power-in-zambia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/2025\/05\/07\/solar-power-in-zambia\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar power in Zambia: \u2018If it works for my neighbour, I\u2019ll try it too’"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”31231″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]In sunny Zambia, fewer than 6%<\/a> of rural people have access to electricity, leaving over 94% in darkness.<\/p>\n

Zambia could tap into solar power to light up its rural areas, but this potential has yet to be exploited. So far, only 3.23%<\/a> of its installed electricity generation capacity is solar based. Even this is mainly used for basic energy services such as lighting and cellphone charging. This means that rural Zambians still have no clean source of energy for cooking, running big appliances or heating water.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”31230″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There would be huge costs in connecting dispersed and isolated rural settlements to the electricity grid. Solar power could be a solution but because of poverty and unemployment, individual rural families would struggle to buy a home solar system. For example, in Zambia a solar home system that powers just two bulbs costs around US$52 and yet on average, rural people earn and survive on less than $1.50 per day.<\/p>\n

We are researchers in sustainable energy, environmental studies, social sciences, and the transition to green energy in rural areas. We set out to explore how rural Zambian people make decisions about whether to adopt solar power or not. Over six months, we interviewed 58 people in three remote rural regions of Zambia.<\/p>\n

The group included male and female subsistence farmers and charcoal producers. About 98% of rural households in Zambia rely on biomass fuels like charcoal and firewood, and selling charcoal alone contributes about 32% to rural families\u2019 incomes.<\/p>\n

Our research led us to come up with a new research framework that we named the rural development stakeholder hybrid adoption model. It brings together insights from behaviour change, technology adoption, and social influence theories and allowed us to analyse what helps or hinders people in rural Zambia when they consider taking up solar power.<\/p>\n

Our key finding<\/a> was that rural Zambians are most influenced by observational learning: seeing their neighbours using solar power successfully and hearing about their neighbours\u2019 experiences.<\/p>\n

This shows that peer influence, mindset, and community participation affect adoption of solar. Policy makers should make use of social influence to speed up the rollout of clean energy in rural Zambia.<\/p>\n

The role of social influence<\/h2>\n

In Kenya<\/a>, social influence helped solar lantern adoption reach 96%. In Rwanda<\/a> and Malawi<\/a>, community leaders and peer examples helped spread solar home systems.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”31229″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]In rural Zambia, over 80% of people we spoke to had mobile phones, solar torches or solar-powered phone chargers even though these initially seemed unaffordable. Our research found<\/a> that people saw their neighbours using these technologies, heard about their benefits, and decided to try them too.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This kind of learning \u2013 from seeing and talking to others \u2013 is called social learning. It shows how word of mouth and real-life examples can lead people to adopt new ideas.<\/p>\n

We believe the same can happen with increased solar panel adoption in rural areas. Like mobile phones, which people started using before they\u2019d ever had a landline, solar power can bypass power lines and bring clean electricity to homes far from the grid.<\/p>\n

Social learning works<\/h2>\n

About 16.6% of rural households<\/a>, or 683,225 homes, have installed solar systems.<\/p>\n

The people we interviewed for our study told us social learning inspired them to take up solar power. As one farmer said:<\/p>\n

I have a solar system that helps me with irrigation. I got the idea from my friend who could grow crops during the dry season. I was shocked and excited at
\nthe discovery. Now I can enjoy winter maize and water my garden. It also helps me raise income.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another farmer told us:<\/p>\n

We have come to learn about various systems of solar energy that can be used for irrigation, lighting, and phone charging through intermingling with each other. Now, in this village, everyone has at least one solar-powered gadget or another.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Community ownership builds self-reliance<\/h2>\n

Our research also found that community ownership matters. When projects are led by locals, rather than set up by donors or government, they\u2019re more likely to succeed:<\/p>\n

We might be uneducated, but there is something we can offer, especially pertaining to projects that are implemented in our villages. We know better because we have lived here all our lives, but we are not involved at all, which causes many projects to fail.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other people we interviewed spoke of free stoves donated by aid agencies that were supposed to benefit rural people because they used less firewood. But they did not generate enough heat to cook food in the same way as charcoal or firewood. Another person pointed out that in the case of water boreholes installed by aid agencies, 70% failed in their area after the agencies left.<\/p>\n

Our research found that a belief in self-reliance, not dependency on aid, fosters real adoption of new technology. Another person we interviewed said:<\/p>\n

One of the biggest failures of the non-governmental organisation community is their reluctance to address the mindset issue. They avoid it, partly because they fear appearing politically incorrect. This hesitance undermines aid programmes, as they do not tackle the deeper roots of poverty, many of which stem from mental and attitudinal barriers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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What needs to happen next<\/h2>\n

Our findings are clear: solar take-up in rural Zambia isn\u2019t just about the technology \u2013 it\u2019s about people, trust, visibility, and empowerment.<\/p>\n

We have four recommendations for government, policy makers, aid agencies, and other organisations involved in promoting solar adoption and sustainable energy in rural areas:<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”31228″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n