Unsold solar: a post-mortem of Papua New Guinea's teachers solar lighting project

Papua New Guinea’s electrification rate positions the country among the lowest in the world. Given its overall low population density, household income levels, and geophysical barriers, energy access is unlikely to be greatly expanded through grid extension in the near future. Renewable energy technologies present an alternative solution and have been promoted through various donor-driven efforts in recent years. One such example is the World Bank-assisted Teachers Solar Lighting Project, scheduled for implementation from 2005-2010, which aimed to sell 2,500 solar home lighting kits to out-posted school teachers while also supporting the growth of local, renewable energy industries. The project was terminated before its target end-date and only one solar kit was sold. To understand this apparent failure, we review the project by drawing from in-country fieldwork conducted in March 2010 and semi-structured research interviews held with representatives from the implementing agencies, relevant public and private sector bodies, and school teachers targeted for participation. In addition to the traditional techno-economic barriers that impeded diffusion of renewable energy, we posit that social and cultural factors were also significant barriers.