People in some remote areas have unusual expectations of renewable energy technologies

Benjamin K. Sovacool

To make an impact, small-scale renewable energy systems must fit social expectations and cultural norms, argues Benjamin K. Sovacool.

In 2009, 1.4 billion people lacked access to electricity — 85 per cent of them in rural areas. By 2030, 1.2 billion are set to remain off-grid, while 2.8 billion will rely on traditional biomass.

These systems are making inroads in some regions. But assessments of how they perform often neglect local realities that can determine whether they succeed or fail. 

Biogas cookstoves capture methane from the anaerobic digestion of waste and convert it into fuel. And 'pico-hydro units' consist of miniature dams and powerhouses that use natural river flow to generate electricity for a communal mini-grid.

In the past ten years, millions of these systems have been deployed around the world. A rich literature has emerged as well, discussing common barriers to adoption that include high up-front costs, poor access to financing and substandard equipment. 

These are far from one-off events. As technologies get rolled out to more remote areas, they invariably encounter more isolated local cultures.

In Nepal, many believe that hydroelectric facilities should serve the community for free. Because of this cultural stigma, there is little money to be made in charging rural households for pico-hydro electricity.

In Papua New Guinea, solar home systems have been hit by unusually high rates of vandalism, sabotage and theft. Clans there share resources under a wantok system (where people are connected by strong social bonds) rooted in tribal traditions. Solar panels, which benefit particular households or individuals instead of the community, assault this wantok system. 

In Bangladesh, one family I worked with thought they needed to dismount their solar home system and take it "for a walk" every day so it "wouldn't get tired". Another family thought they had to "add soap" to their waste to "make it clean" before it would work in a biogas digester.

They also reveal that cultural attitudes and social expectations can prevent the use of off-grid renewable energy applications just as significantly as price, poorly designed programmes and flawed regulations.

And they offer insight into how energy development assistance programmes, operated by organisations such as the World Bank and Global Environment Facility, can be improved.

For example, designers should genuinely consult with community members and leaders about their energy needs before implementation begins — not just seek input after programmes are in place.

And instead of focusing on lowering costs and improving technology, planners should consider strengthening the institutional capacity of local governments, and training end users to maintain the technology.

Development programmes should provide incentives for systems that are designed, manufactured and distributed by local contractors who intimately understand the cultural dynamics of the people they aim to serve.

Ultimately, small-scale renewable energy systems can save millions of lives. But their true potential will remain a mirage without sensitive and appropriately designed programmes that heed the importance of local culture.