Socio-economic prospects of solar technology utilization in Abbottabad, Pakistan Musarrat Jabeen a,1 , Muhammad Umar a , Muhammad Zahid a , Masood Ur Rehaman b , Rubeena Batool c , Khalid Zaman d,n a Department of Development Studies, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan b Principal Staff Officer, Prime Minister of AzadJammu Kashmir, Pakistan c Department of International Relations, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan d Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan article info Article history: Received 30 April 2014 Received in revised form 4 July 2014 Accepted 19 July 2014 Keywords: Solar technology utilization Socio-economic prospects Existing trends Pakistan abstract Social evaluation is placed at low levels of the technical architecture, for this reason the findings of this study would be useful. This study evaluates the socio-economic prospects of solar technology utilization (STU) in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The objective of the study is to underline the variables of existing and inclined trends for alternate technology that come into consideration to assess the potential for STU by the consumers. The study finds out the type of need of the consumers have that solar technology could address to enhance the quality of life. On the bases of income, comparative user friendliness and comparative cost analysis, the study suggests the STU is the best market competitive technologies available. The potential for STU exists at 65% as frequency distribution of the survey showed. This study is a contribution to practical knowledge of solar technology to mitigate the energy crisis in Pakistan. & 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Competitiveness of solar technology ................................................................................ 3 2. Methodology ......................................................................................................... 4 2.1. Theoretical framework for socio-political evaluation of solar technology ................................................... 4 2.2. Methods of data collection ........................................................................................ 4 2.2.1. Questionnaires ........................................................................................... 4 2.2.2. Unstructured interviews ................................................................................... 5 2.2.3. Observations ............................................................................................ 5 2.3. Data analysis ................................................................................................... 5 3. Findings and analyses .................................................................................................. 5 3.1. Existing trend for alternate technology utilization ..................................................................... 5 3.2. Inclined trend for solar technology utilization ......................................................................... 6 4. Conclusion and recommendations ........................................................................................ 7 Annexure 1. Socio-economic prospects of solar electricity utilization in Abbottabad, Pakistan......................................................... 7 References ............................................................................................................... 9 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.148 1364-0321/& 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ92 334 8982744; fax: þ92 992 383441. E-mail addresses: musarratjabeen10@yahoo.com (M. Jabeen), khalidzaman@ciit.net.pk (K. Zaman). 1 Tel.: þ92 300 3885453. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 39 (2014) 1164–1172