Evaluation of public understanding of renewable energy use in sub-Saharan Africa

บทคัดย่อ

This work was on information circulation and energy economics by the evaluation of public understanding of renewable energy use, environmental impacts and investments in sub-Saharan Africa. The scope was only on Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and the Benin Republic. The objectives cover the desire to find out the most common of the types of energy consumption in the affected countries; to find out the level of public understanding about renewable energy; to find out the level of investments on renewable energy as well as to know the knowledge about the environmental impact of energy usages. The method of research was an online survey of, and 14,814,460 persons and sample size are 1000 persons. The instrument of research was the structured questionnaire proportionately shared and mailed electronically to respondents of the affected counties. Two theories were applied being the diffusion of innovations and technological determinism. The major findings were that public understanding of renewable energy was critically low in Sub-Saharan Africa though some moderate awareness exists. It was concluded that the biggest barrier in the use of RE in Sub-Saharan Africa is due to lack of public awareness, followed by regulatory barriers and cost. Unawareness is an invisible but powerful obstacle to the mainstream adoption of renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Beyond the technical and financial limitations, lack of understanding and exposure is one of the key factors that delays the energy transition. Energy education, targeted communication and grassroots outreach are important in overcoming this hurdle and ensuring that sub-Saharan Africa draws on its enormous renewable potential for sustainable development. Recommendations included that renewable energy companies, with the help of governments, could engage in awareness-raising as part of their market expansion strategies.