Village photovoltaic panel project

Does community management influence household adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics in rural China?

This paper examines inequality in household adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics in rural China through a qualitative study of three villages. The Chinese government promotes distributed solar to drive low-carbon development. However, community management and China’s institutional system influence unequal access.

Do villagers have a role in photovoltaic negotiations?

From a procedural justice standpoint, the village committee acts as an agent negotiating with photovoltaic enterprises while villagers participate limitedly (e.g., voting at meetings). Regarding pricing roof resources and determining cooperation specifics, villagers’ absence in negotiations diminishes the fairness of the process.

How many villages in India have a solar mini-grid system?

In the Indian case, the solar mini-grid systems served almost 1000 villages in Chhattisgarh state by April 2018, according to CREDA records.

Do community-level support and household resources affect photovoltaic adoption?

We find that structural opportunities provided by communities and households’ own resource endowments have an additive effect on adoption. This highlights the need to consider both community-level support and household resources when evaluating photovoltaic adoption and energy justice.

Do local authorities play a role in household rooftop photovoltaic adoption?

The research revealed salient geographic disparities in household rooftop photovoltaic adoption, closely associated with the role of local authorities (particularly village committees) in new energy promotion schemes.

How can government institutions support solar mini-grids and other village-scale power plants?

The cases demonstrate that suitable policies, regulations and government institutions, including individual government officials’ acceptance of radically different socio-technical configurations are key to enabling solar mini-grids and other village-scale power plants.