Maia CheliThe United Nations Capital Development Fund’s CleanStart Programme, in partnership with SolarAid/Acumen and the Schatz Center, is conducting research on energy adoption patterns. This project seeks to determine which channels customers in rural Uganda use to finance and purchase solar systems. We are also investigating the drivers of solar product adoption, including the influence of flexible financing tools on purchasing behavior.
We have learned that the quality of existing energy services plays an important role in shaping customers’ receptiveness to alternative off-grid solutions. Our research also shows that in-person marketing, “real-life” observations, interactions with sales staff, recommendations by thought leaders, and conversations with existing satisfied customers are all strongly influential in driving end-user uptake of solar energy products.
- Read the first blog in the Energy Ladder series: Why do low-income people adopt clean energy? A study in Uganda exploring unmet demand for reliable electricity, by Richa Goyal (Schatz), Arne Jacobson (Schatz) and Byoung Hwa Hwang (UNCDF).
- Read the second Energy ladder blog: How does marketing unlock solar energy growth?
Insights on motivations for purchase of solar off-grid energy services by Richa Goyal (Schatz), Arne Jacobson (Schatz) and Robin Gravesteijn (UNCDF).
