Determinants of user satisfaction with solar home systems in rural Bangladesh Satoru Komatsu a, * , Shinji Kaneko a , Partha Pratim Ghosh b , Akane Morinaga c a Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan b Grameen Communications, Bangladesh Grameen Bank Bhaban, Mirpur-2, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh c Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hiroshima University 1-2-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8525, Japan article info Article history: Received 17 September 2012 Received in revised form 3 April 2013 Accepted 16 April 2013 Available online xxx Keywords: Solar home systems Rural electrification Satisfaction Bangladesh abstract The objective of this research is to analyze the characteristics of households installing solar photovoltaic (systems or solar home systems) SHS in Bangladesh where rural electrification, improvement of rural livelihoods, and sustainable development constitute the primary development agenda. This article at- tempts to quantitatively determine the factors that affect user satisfaction with SHS, so that improving user satisfaction can contribute to expanding the coverage of SHS in the long run. The research evaluates the determinants of user satisfaction and households’ perceptions of the benefits of SHS, including the quality of SHS equipment and reduction in energy costs. The econometric analysis reveals that previous poor experience of the frequency of battery repairs and replacement in SHS negatively influences the satisfaction of households with SHS. The research also suggests user satisfaction improves in the households that achieve lower dependence on kerosene. Moreover, the users who receive the benefits of SHS, especially those resulting from an increase in children’s study time, show a higher level of satis- faction with SHS. A key message from the findings is that the benefits of a SHS lifestyle as well as the quality of SHS equipment play a significant role in improving user satisfaction with SHS in rural Bangladesh. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Worldwide, 1.317 billion people do not have access to electricity, and 99.8% of people without electricity live in developing countries [1]. Although electricity supply is necessary for improving liveli- hoods, grid expansion usually requires a large and long-term financial investment in new infrastructure (power stations, sub- stations, transmission lines, etc.) in countries like Bangladesh, and it implies an increased dependence on fossil fuels and incremental emissions of (greenhouse gases) GHG. (Solar home systems) SHS, which are based on solar (photovoltaic) PV technologies, are elec- trification kits for households and offer an economical electrifica- tion option in locations with sufficient sunshine in remote and/or sparsely populated rural areas. Electricity generated by SHS is normally used for low-load electrical devices, such as electric lamps, televisions (black and white), cassette players, radios, and charging mobile phones [2]. Following the onset of rural electrifi- cation programs in the late 1980s and 1990s worldwide, a number of donor agencies, such as the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and bilateral donors have funded rural electrification initiatives using SHS. Nieuwenhout et al. compre- hensively reviewed the experiences of solar PV applications for households in developing countries, including donor supports, deployment schemes, benefits for households, and contributions for rural development [3]. As SHS becomes a popular electrification tool in rural areas, several indicators have been used as evaluation tools for off-grid household electrification with SHS, such as number of SHS installed, percentage of installed SHS currently operating, techno- logical transfer to the enterprises involved, and the creation of markets for SHS and their accessories. Moreover, user satisfaction is widely applied as an evaluation tool for those who have received electricity from SHS. Since user satisfaction is easily measured by a questionnaire survey, there are various studies which have evaluated the level of user satisfaction with SHS, such as the cases in Asia-Pacific coun- tries (East Timor [4], Bangladesh [5], Nepal [6], Sri Lanka [7], Indonesia [8], China [9], and Fiji [10]) Africa (Namibia [11], * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ81 82 424 6932; fax: þ81 82 424 6904. E-mail addresses: skomatsu@hiroshima-u.ac.jp (S. Komatsu), kshinji@ hiroshima-u.ac.jp (S. Kaneko), partha1975@gmail.com (P.P. Ghosh), akane112@ hiroshima-u.ac.jp (A. Morinaga). Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Energy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/energy 0360-5442/$ e see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2013.04.022 Energy xxx (2013) 1e7 Please cite this article in press as: Komatsu S, et al., Determinants of user satisfaction with solar home systems in rural Bangladesh, Energy (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2013.04.022