Determinants of household adoption of solar energy technology in Seychelles in a context of 100% access to electricity

Abstract

Abstract Seychelles is among four countries in the African continent with 100% access to electricity, of which over 90% of the energy is generated from fossil fuels. The energy transition is a crucial enabler of sustainable development and climate resilience. Therefore, this study seeks to understand the determinants of solar PV uptake based on a stratified random sample of 130 households on Mahe Island, Seychelles. We applied logistic regression and descriptive statistics to analyze the driving factors of a household decision regarding the adoption of a solar PV system. Results indicated that access to credit and household savings influenced the adoption of solar PV systems at the 1% significance level. In comparison, monthly household income did so at the 5% level. Independent variables such as gender, age, and education of household heads, including family size that were significant in other studies, were not significant in the current study. Cost-saving, energy security, and environment friendly were chief among the motivational drivers of the 60 households that had adopted solar PV systems. Whereas, for the non-adopters, the four most essential barriers cited were cheap electricity, high initial cost, existing loans, and long payback time. For the communal approach to solar PV systems in Seychelles to be successful, the adoption barriers that occur at the level of households should be considered.