Factors Influencing Households Intention to Adopt Solar Photovoltaic Technology for Net Metering in Mzuzu City, Malawi

Lottie Singini, Chikumbusko Kaonga , and Christabel Kambala
2026-07-07 22 views 2 downloads

 

Adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is essential for the successful implementation of Malawi's newly introduced net-metering framework. However, evidence on urban household adoption intentions remains limited. This study investigated the sociodemographic and perceptual factors influencing households' intention to adopt solar PV for net-metering in Mzuzu City, Malawi. A descriptive survey of 182 grid-connected households was conducted, and binary logistic regression, guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), was used to identify significant predictors of adoption intention. The regression model was statistically significant (?² = 82.84, p < 0.001), explained 49% of the variation in adoption intention (Nagelkerke R² = 0.49), and correctly classified 80.2% of households. House ownership emerged as the strongest predictor of adoption intention, followed by economic perception, environmental perception, household size, electricity expenditure, gender, and education level, while age, marital status, income source, and social and technical perceptions were not significant. The findings indicate that household adoption intention is driven primarily by structural characteristics and perceived economic and environmental benefits rather than demographic factors alone. The study further identifies landlord–tenant constraints and regulatory uncertainty as key barriers unique to the netmetering context, providing evidence to guide policies and targeted interventions that can accelerate household participation in Malawi's emerging net-metering programme.

 

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