南アフリカにおける住宅用太陽光技術の導入は所得不平等が規定し、エネルギー不安は規定しない：再生可能エネルギー政策への示唆

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides empirical evidence on socioeconomic determinants of residential solar adoption, useful for energy justice research.

🏢実務担当者:Highlights the importance of targeting low-income households in solar programs to ensure equitable adoption.

🏛政策担当者:Informs policy design to address income-based disparities in renewable energy adoption, supporting just transition goals.

South Africa's severe energy crisis, characterised by persistent load shedding and rising electricity tariffs, has intensified interest in residential solar energy technologies (RSET). However, the uptake of solar energy technology remains low and potentially inequitable. This study investigates the socioeconomic and geospatial drivers of solar energy adoption in South African households to determine whether the transition is being shaped by energy insecurity or socioeconomic capacity. We extracted data from the General Household Survey covering 20,927 households. Data on the households’ demographics (i.e., household size and income, and age and gender of household head), residential characteristics (i.e., dwelling type and housing tenure), geographic location (i.e., province), energy security (i.e., frequency of load shedding) and the adoption of residential solar energy technology (i.e., installation of solar panels) were extracted. Then, we ran a binary logistic regression model to investigate the impact of demographics, residential characteristics, geographical location, and energy security on the likelihood of the adoption of RSET. We found that the odds of RSET adoption are higher in high-income households (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.05 – 1.09) and smaller households (OR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.88 – 0.98). Interestingly, the frequency of load shedding, an indicator of energy insecurity, does not significantly predict RSET adoption. Given the recent incidences of load shedding, it was expected that the concomitant energy insecurity would drive the rapid adoption of RSET. However, income was found to be a stronger predictor of RSET than energy insecurity. This suggests that the energy transition in South Africa may not be driven by energy demand, but by payment ability, which may exacerbate "energy apartheid". These results reflect the vulnerability of low-income communities to rising energy insecurity, with key implications for residential and renewable energy policy.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2026.e03566first seen 2026-09-06 05:02:59