The use of energy permeates all aspects of human existence and remains critical for survival in this modern age, especially as the world transits to modern energy sources. From rural communities to urban centres, clean energy access is pivotal to modern living. We use energy to light up our homes, cook our food, power appliances at home to support other domestic activities, and power our vehicles.
While residential households and small businesses largely drive widespread energy use in the sub-Saharan African region, the highest consumers in terms of load demand are the few industries available. Nonetheless, an unwritten social contract and societal norms typically affect people’s perception of renewable and clean energy adoption.
Policy actions may be on top gear to accelerate clean energy access in government offices and online meetings with multilateral agencies. Still, the reality on the streets and local communities may show a different view – slow or no progress due to poor social acceptance.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Power, Dr Goody Jedy Agba, in August 2021, estimates that about 175 million Nigerians still lack access to clean cooking energy[1]. This indicates the abysmally low level of adoption of clean cooking solutions in Nigerian homes despite how long the clean energy mantra has subsisted. While factors such as accessibility, cost, availability, and affordability may come to play in this disheartening statistics, poor social acceptance of modern energy sources for cooking and other energy use may be a key reason.
Following a study conducted on 216 rural households in Abuja, Nigeria, to determine household energy access and preference to cooking fuels, the results showed that households’ energy access and preference to some of the cooking fuels significantly differed and that firewood was the most accessible and preferable cooking fuel in the study area while cooking gas was the least[2]. Further, some Nigerians hold a myth that cooking with firewood makes a meal tastes better than when an electric or gas cooker is used. While this myth may apply to cooking meals, other energy uses are not spared, with some strongly held perceptions and myths rooted in culture and societal norms.
Humans are born into societies guided by culture, norms, societal expectations, and mindsets. Recalibrating that mindset requires deliberate efforts and practical demonstration to convince the human mind that a superior or a better solution is feasible, sustainable, and should be accepted. The International Energy Agency (IEA), via its 2021 World Energy Outlook report, estimates that in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, at least half of global emissions reductions over the next decade require consumer buy-in, e.g., a decision to switch to an Electric Vehicle or a heat pump. Also, 4% of emissions reduction require behavioural changes, e.g., cycling rather than driving to work[3].
Social psychology examines how people affect one another, and it looks at the power of the situation. Social psychologists assert that an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by social situations[4]. Essentially, people will change their behaviour to align with the social situation at hand. If we are in a new situation or are unsure how to behave, we will take our cues from other individuals.
Traditionally, Nigerians are used to fossil fuel sources to meet their energy needs. However, with the energy transition gaining momentum globally, it is crucial that efforts are made via public policy, deepened stakeholders’ engagement, and media campaigns to ensure that the positives of modern energy sources are entrenched in the psyche of Nigerians. Some ways to achieve this are as follows:
- Incentives for renewable energy solutions adoption: Experience shows that Nigerians are highly persevering people but loathes any new approach to doing things that comes with complexity. Hence, the reliance on side systems or alternative pathways promises simplicity and less stress despite that it may not be healthy, environmentally friendly or a legal route. This results in increased activities of side players in a typical process of acquiring official documentation, license, or fixing an electrical fault despite official institutions being set up to cater to such needs. Therefore, administering targeted incentives, if available, should be made simple, easy, efficient and stress-free. Also, the product design of renewable energy technologies should be very simplified for widespread adoption.
- Promote the availability of clean energy solutions through the set-up of special markets: There are certain markets for types of goods and services across Nigeria. For instance, in Lagos, the Oladipo market is widely known for vehicle spare parts sales, while computer village sells phones, laptops, and accessories. However, it appears that there are no major specialized markets in the country widely known as a one-stop shop for the purchase of renewable energy equipment, batteries, solar home systems, solar appliances, and other accessories. Therefore, efforts should be made by policymakers and other stakeholders in the renewable energy space in this regard.
- Incentivize local installers, technicians, and middlemen: Most Nigerian households and settlements do have special technicians and go to “local experts” they rely on for home repairs, retrofits and fault fixing and rarely utilize formal consultation services or official contracts. While these local technicians may be less trained or poorly educated, they command respect and admiration of locals, hence, their patronage.
In the bid to promote the adoption of clean energy across communities, programs must go beyond mainstream corporate experts to target these local technicians and bring them up-to-speed with modern energy sources and technologies, given that they largely influence their customers’ energy choice and use as they perform their work. Also, incentives claims should be granted to this group of local technicians for every new customer convinced to adopt renewable energy solutions verified by installations made at customer premises.
- Support media campaigns: Nigeria is a country with a huge young population. Impressing these young minds the positives of adopting clean energy solutions through national orientation programs and social media platforms will go a long way.
- Engaging community leaders, interest groups and market associations: These groups have leaders that can influence the energy choices of their constituents. Thus, adopting this pathway to disseminate the importance of making choices that support the clean energy transition.
- Target outreach for the younger generation: Publicity and campaigns can be held in secondary schools to catch the attention of the next generation of decision-makers, policymakers, small business owners and household leaders. This is pivotal for a successful energy transition. For example, it may be more difficult to retool the mindset of a 60-year-old woman that relied on firewood for cooking all her life than a young teenager with an impressionable mind.
- Pilot project demonstration: Trust in the functionality of a new system to meet desired needs largely contributes to social acceptance or resistance. Therefore, policymakers can use pilot projects to demonstrate the effectiveness and positives of modern energy sources before scaling. While this approach seems popular and widely adopted in clean energy projects deployment in Nigeria, more funding should be provided to support these pilots’ demonstration and increase their reach across the populace.
Predictive energy planning models least consider the impact of social factors in Nigeria’s fast-tracked adoption of clean energy solutions. However, social factors cannot be waved away, given Nigeria’s peculiar circumstances. A study by Dianna Susser et al. indicates the need for energy modellers to shift their attention toward the social, political, and urgent ecological aspects of the energy transition[5]. The combined consideration of these factors can significantly improve the relevance of models for a sustainability-oriented and socially supported restructuring of energy supply.
Conclusively, policy actions taken to promote social acceptance of renewable energy technologies should consider that initial entry cost and affordability are other top considerations by Nigerians in making energy choices in light of the current economic situation for the masses.
References
[1] https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/08/06/175m-nigerians-lack-access-to-clean-cooking-energy-says-minister/
[2] Ajah Julius, 2013. Households’ Access and Preference to Cooking Fuels in Abuja, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 6: 91-98. Available at: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jest.2013.91.98
[3]IEA (2021), World Energy Outlook 2021, Available at: https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/88dec0c7-3a11-4d3b-99dc-8323ebfb388b/WorldEnergyOutlook2021.pdf
[4] https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-psychology/chapter/what-is-social-psychology/
[5] Süsser, D., Gaschnig, H., Ceglarz, A., Stavrakas, V., Flamos, A., Lilliestam, J., Better suited or just more complex? On the fit between user needs and modeller-driven improvements of energy system models, Energy, Volume 239, Part B, 15 January 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.121909