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Solar lanterns or solar home lighting systems – Community preferences in East Timor

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  • Bond, M.
  • Aye, Lu
  • Fuller, R.J.

Abstract

Access to electrification in rural areas of East Timor is extremely limited with as few as 5% of rural households connected to electricity. The government of East Timor intends to increase rural access to electricity significantly in the coming decade. The introduction of small PV systems is envisaged for many households in the most remote areas. Several agencies have piloted the introduction of small solar home systems (SHS) and solar lanterns. In the Railaco sub-district of East Timor, some 1000 households have experience of using either SHS and/or solar lanterns and are in a unique position to indicate a preference regarding these forms of PV lighting technology. This paper reports on a survey of 76 households in Railaco investigating experience with PV lighting systems. Results of the survey indicate a strong preference by users for SHS rather than lanterns. The preference for SHS arose from a range of factors including: a perception of better light quality; ability to illuminate the whole house; reduced risk of damage to the PV equipment; and longer duration of nightly operation. The research indicates that where a single PV lighting system is provided, users are likely to prefer SHS to solar lanterns.

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  • Bond, M. & Aye, Lu & Fuller, R.J., 2010. "Solar lanterns or solar home lighting systems – Community preferences in East Timor," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 1076-1082.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:35:y:2010:i:5:p:1076-1082
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2009.10.036
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cabraal, A. & Cosgrove-Davies, M. & Schaeffer, L., 1996. "Best Practices for Photovoltaic Household Electrification Programs: Lessons from Experiences in Selected Countries," Papers 324, World Bank - Technical Papers.
    2. Roy, Joyashree & Jana, Sebak, 1998. "Solar lanterns for rural households," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 67-68.
    3. Bond, M. & Fuller, R.J. & Aye, Lu, 2007. "A policy proposal for the introduction of solar home systems in East Timor," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 6535-6545, December.
    4. Velayudhan, S. K., 2003. "Dissemination of solar photovoltaics: a study on the government programme to promote solar lantern in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(14), pages 1509-1518, November.
    5. Gustavsson, Mathias & Ellegård, Anders, 2004. "The impact of solar home systems on rural livelihoods. Experiences from the Nyimba Energy Service Company in Zambia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(7), pages 1059-1072.
    6. van der Vleuten, F. & Stam, N. & van der Plas, R., 2007. "Putting solar home system programmes into perspective: What lessons are relevant?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 1439-1451, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bond, M. & Fuller, R.J. & Aye, Lu, 2012. "Sizing solar home systems for optimal development impact," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 699-709.
    2. Xavier Lemaire, 2018. "Solar home systems and solar lanterns in rural areas of the Global South: What impact?," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(5), September.
    3. Komatsu, Satoru & Kaneko, Shinji & Ghosh, Partha Pratim & Morinaga, Akane, 2013. "Determinants of user satisfaction with solar home systems in rural Bangladesh," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 52-58.
    4. Wong, Sam, 2012. "Overcoming obstacles against effective solar lighting interventions in South Asia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 110-120.
    5. Barrie, Jack & Cruickshank, Heather J., 2017. "Shedding light on the last mile: A study on the diffusion of Pay As You Go Solar Home Systems in Central East Africa," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 425-436.
    6. Girardeau, Hannah & Oberholzer, Alicia & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2021. "The enabling environment for household solar adoption: A systematic review," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).

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    Keywords

    SHS; Solar lantern; East Timor;
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