African Creative Economy Studies (Interdisciplinary - Arts/Economics/Social) | 27 January 2005
Assessment of Community-Based Renewable Energy Projects' Impact on Rural Household Wealth Generation in Malawi: A Solar Cooker Adoption Study
C, h, i, t, u, w, o, C, h, a, k, u, u, k, a, ,, N, k, o, m, b, e, P, h, i, r, i, ,, K, a, l, e, m, a, M, a, l, u, n, g, a
Abstract
Solar cookers have been introduced to rural communities in Malawi as a means of reducing dependency on traditional biomass for cooking and generating income through selling excess energy. A qualitative approach was employed to gather data from focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs), conducted among local residents and project implementers. Solar cookers were found to have a significant positive effect on rural households' income, with an average increase in income reported by participants of 25% due to selling excess energy from their solar cookers. The study concludes that community-based renewable energy projects can effectively contribute to improving rural household wealth generation through the adoption of solar cookers. Recommendations include scaling up the project, involving more stakeholders in decision-making processes, and providing training on efficient use and maintenance of solar cookers.