Determinants of Adoption of Renewable Energy Technologies among Rural Households in Njoro Sub-County Nakuru, Kenya

Abstract

Kenya faces growing energy problems, for instance, losing over 5000 acres of the closed indigenous Mau Forest each year due to harvesting of firewood and charcoal to cater for the rising energy demands. There exists many renewable energy technologies (RETS) which provide alternative sources of energy which are efficient, relatively inexpensive, but rural communities which stand to gain the most from these technologies still rely on the inefficient, expensive and unsustainable non-renewable energy source for their needs. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the determinants to adoption of select RETs by rural resident of Njoro sub-County. Four potential factors that determine adoption of innovation have been amply addressed in the adoption of innovation literature and research. These include: (a) Awareness and level of use of the innovation (b) Socioeconomics of the households, (c) Policy framework supporting the adoption of the innovation, and (d) the influence of external actors (such as Non-governmental organisations, Research institutions and Universities) on the adoption of innovations. These four factors have been used in the study to constitute the specific objectives. A sociological survey, using a structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Two stage cluster sampling was used to select the 200 randomly selected households, while the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The findings suggest that (a) Awareness Level of RETs did not have a significant impact on Adoption of RETS (b) Socio economic status proved to be predictor for RET adoption where the higher the Status in Society the higher the likelihood for RET adoption. Age also had an influence on adoption where the older generations were less likely to adopt compared to younger generations. Gender was also shown to influence adoption where women were more likely to adopt RETs compared to men (c) Institutional framework supporting RET adoption was minimal (d) the influence of external actors did not have a significant impact on RET adoption.