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Productive electricity use is one channel by which improvements in electricity supply contribute to economic development. Literature in this context focusses typically on larger more established firms. Here we describe electricity supply, use and preferences among micro- and small-enterprises (MSEs), which are important providers of livelihoods in emerging economies. We conduct our work using primary surveys of firm owners (N = 696) in Bihar, India. We find that reported grid electricity supply reliability is quite good, providing on average 18.7 h of electricity per day and less than one day with blackouts or voltage fluctuation per month. Nevertheless, 40% of the sampled firms have no grid connection and 75% of consume less than one kilowatt-hour per day to power basic appliances including lighting, phone charging, and fans. Using a conjoint experiment to explore firm preferences for their electricity supply, we find that supply-side improvements are unlikely to drive broad increases in grid take-up and electricity consumption. Moreover, for the majority of firms, decentralised power supply through renewable energy technologies is both adequate and acceptable to firm owners, providing a viable parallel solution to grid extension. • Micro- and small enterprise (MSE) surveys from Bihar, India are analysed (N = 696). • Despite good supply quality, 41% of MSEs have no connection, citing affordability. • Three-quarters of firms consume <1 kWh of electricity per day. • Demand-side interventions are necessary to incentivise appliance purchase. • Off-grid supply technologies are acceptable to firm owners and deserve more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From solar lanterns to home systems and minigrids, distributed renewable energy (DRE) has become increasingly competitive as an alternative to grid extension in household electrification across many parts of the emerging world. We explore how DRE use in Indian households has evolved against the backdrop of massive public investment in grid extension. Using two rounds of the 2015–2018 ACCESS household data from six Indian states, we estimate the impact of household electrification via grid extension on DRE ownership and use. We find that demand for solar microgrids and minigrids has all but disappeared, whereas demand for solar home systems and lanterns as backup solutions to intermittent grid electricity supply continues to grow. Most notably, while grid electrification has increased from 66% to 85%, solar lantern ownership has grown from 1.2% to 5%. The use of DRE as a backup solution to government electrification schemes seems driven by changes in quality of electricity supply. These analyses confirm that intermittent grid electricity supply is key to understanding the solar lantern's continued popularity. The results show that where population density, household income, and government commitment all favor grid extension, the most affordable DRE technologies can still play an important role. These lessons offer insights into the development of solar-based lighting markets in other regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where grid extension continues but grid electricity remains intermittent in supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural electrification has advanced rapidly in many developing countries. Under conditions of poverty and weak infrastructure, however, households face a risk of backsliding. We use two rounds from the ACCESS survey of rural households in six northern Indian states to explore factors that drive losses in household electricity access. About 7% of households with electricity in 2015 lost it by 2018. We identify household wealth and off-grid access as major drivers of lost energy access. A standard deviation's increase in a household's wealth index reduces the likelihood of disconnection by 1.5 percentage points. Off-grid households are 8 percentage points more likely to lose access than grid-connected households. These findings underscore the importance of defending realized gains in countries where household electrification is driven by policy while rural poverty remains prevalent. • This study analyzes the predictors of loss of access to electricity. • We rely on a representative survey panel data of more than 8000 households in India. • We find that households with lower income and formal education levels are more likely to lose access to electricity. • Infrastructure and geographic factors do not predict loss of access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the determinants of distributed solar technology adoption at the village and household level in India. Using spatial data on insolation, census records, and original surveys, we show that remote and poor but large villages with abundant sunshine have led the wave of solar technology adoption as an alternative to grid electricity. At the household level, however, wealth and financial access are positively associated with solar technology adoption, a result that holds for both solar lanterns and home systems. Moreover, remote villages are more likely to see solar technology adoption when households have access to finance through banks. We also find that the use of household solar technology is strongly associated with a household's subjective satisfaction with domestic lighting. These results demonstrate that understanding solar technology adoption requires considering both community and household characteristics. They also underscore the importance of financial access as a precondition for using distributed solar power as an alternative to grid connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unreliable electricity supply is a major obstacle to economic development in countries such as India. While electricity problems in the rural areas are widely recognized, scholars have yet to analyze the situation in urban slums. Drawing on 2004–2005 survey data from the India Human Development Survey, we document the electricity situation in slums. We find that while households located in slums are less likely to have access to the electricity grid than other urban households, the situation is significantly better than in rural areas. Based on simulations, we find that a median household in a slum has 70% chance of having electricity. This number decreases to 50% for a household in a rural area and increases to 80% for households in urban areas. As to daily hours of electricity available for connected households, urban slums also fall between other urban and rural areas. Finally, we show that these conditions vary considerably by state. Slums located in states with low corruption and leftist governments have better electricity access on average than those in states suffering from corruption or that are ruled by rightist parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Survey experiment on public support for environmental policy at different levels of scientific certainty. [•] Even modest amounts of scientific dissent undermine public support for environmental policy. [•] Negative effect of scientific dissent on public support does not depend on respondent's socioeconomic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Survey experiment on public support for clean energy in the US. [•] Single frames (arguments) can trigger support or opposition to clean energy. [•] Counter frames can neutralize positive or negative arguments. [•] Framing is unlikely to help clean energy: every argument can be neutralized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]