Social acceptance of solar technology : A field study among coffee co-operatives’members in rural Kenya

Abstract: The  purpose  with  this  study  is  to  investigate  the  various  aspects  that  affect  the  social acceptance  of  solar  technology  among  coffee  co-operatives  members  in  rural  Kenya.  The coffee production is a business highly affected by climate change with a small profitability margin for the producers. A reduction of fuel cost is of importance for the coffee farmers and a  transition  to  a  green  renewable  energy  source  could  mean  a  safer,  more  reliable  and environmental  friendly  energy  source  than  the  farmers existing  solution  consisting  of electricity from  the  grid,  diesel  and  paraffin.  Growth  in  the  agricultural  sector  has  been proven  to  be an  effective  tool  in  reducing  poverty  in  developing  countries.  With  over  6 million people in Kenya directly or indirectly employed by the coffee industry, the successful implementation  of  renewable  energy  would  affect  a  lot  of  families. Social  acceptance  is identified as  one  of  the  influential  factors  determining  the  success  of  implementing  a  new technology. This  study  has  identified  various  aspects  affecting  the  coffee  co-operatives  members preconception  and  social  acceptance  of  solar  technology.  At  a  first  stage  the  members’knowledge,  awareness  and  understanding  of  their  alternatives  affect  their  preconception  of solar technology.  At  the  second  stage,  five  perceived  attributes  of  innovation  affect  the members’  social  acceptance.  These  are;  relative  advantage,  compatability,  complexity, trialability and observability. In this social context trialability and observability are identifies as the most influential factors enabling the members to identify the relative advantage of solar technology  in  comparison  to  electricity,  diesel  and  paraffin.  A  demonstration  of  solar technology in  proximity  to  the  coffee  co-operatives  members  would further  enhance  the social acceptance as more members would be able to try out the technology and get a better understanding of the technology based on observable tangible aspects.