Do indicators of safeguards influence off-grid solar choices? Assessing quality, affordability, and service models in Kenya

Electricity access remains out of reach for about half of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, and in rural areas, the electricity access gap reaches almost 70%. Overcoming the electricity access gap is also spurring innovative models of distributed electrification. The considerable debate about how households will advance from off-grid solar technologies to larger appliances and grid connections has mainly focused on the economic and technological aspects of these decisions. Using a discrete choice survey experiment of rural Kenyan households, we find that quality and customer support, such as warranties, after-sale service, and local availability of appliances, are just as important or even more important than more studied techno-economic aspects, such as financing, company recognition, and technical system compatibility. These findings imply that building local capacity and mechanisms for recourse are important areas of focus for supporting off-grid solar as a means for more lasting access to electricity in rural contexts.