Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies
Affordability is a major barrier to the adoption of clean energy technologies in low-income countries, which is partly why many governments provide subsidies to offset some of the upfront (installation) costs. However, simple administrative rules might not fully account for economic geography, resul...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing Ltd
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90749 |
| _version_ | 1848765417062924288 |
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| author | Bharadwaj, B. Pattanayak, S.K. Ashworth, Peta |
| author_facet | Bharadwaj, B. Pattanayak, S.K. Ashworth, Peta |
| author_sort | Bharadwaj, B. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Affordability is a major barrier to the adoption of clean energy technologies in low-income countries, which is partly why many governments provide subsidies to offset some of the upfront (installation) costs. However, simple administrative rules might not fully account for economic geography, resulting in lower subsidies for remote areas. Using regression analysis on a rich dataset of adoption, cost and subsidy for about 4000 Nepalese Village Development Committees over 22 years, we show that administratively determined lumpsum subsidies disproportionately hurt remote communities. Simulations show that adjusting the subsidy spatially to reflect the geographic cost of living, can increase clean technology adoption. Thus, spatial targeting of subsidies is key to accelerating energy access in remote settings such as the Hindu Kush Himalaya. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:34:55Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-90749 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:34:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing Ltd |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-907492023-04-19T06:21:17Z Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies Bharadwaj, B. Pattanayak, S.K. Ashworth, Peta Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology spatial inequity biogas solar home systems clean energy technologies subsidies energy access SOLAR ADOPTION POWER Affordability is a major barrier to the adoption of clean energy technologies in low-income countries, which is partly why many governments provide subsidies to offset some of the upfront (installation) costs. However, simple administrative rules might not fully account for economic geography, resulting in lower subsidies for remote areas. Using regression analysis on a rich dataset of adoption, cost and subsidy for about 4000 Nepalese Village Development Committees over 22 years, we show that administratively determined lumpsum subsidies disproportionately hurt remote communities. Simulations show that adjusting the subsidy spatially to reflect the geographic cost of living, can increase clean technology adoption. Thus, spatial targeting of subsidies is key to accelerating energy access in remote settings such as the Hindu Kush Himalaya. 2022 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90749 10.1088/2515-7620/ac9458 English http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 IOP Publishing Ltd fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology spatial inequity biogas solar home systems clean energy technologies subsidies energy access SOLAR ADOPTION POWER Bharadwaj, B. Pattanayak, S.K. Ashworth, Peta Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies |
| title | Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies |
| title_full | Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies |
| title_fullStr | Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies |
| title_short | Space matters: reducing energy disparity in Nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies |
| title_sort | space matters: reducing energy disparity in nepal through spatially equitable renewable energy subsidies |
| topic | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences & Ecology spatial inequity biogas solar home systems clean energy technologies subsidies energy access SOLAR ADOPTION POWER |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90749 |