Perceptions of renewable energy and its utilization in urban and peri urban areas in Wakiso and Kampala districts.

Abstract

Renewable energy has the potential for delivering socio-economic and environmental benefits to societies, and hence with the aim of providing affordable and reliable energy services as a contribution to poverty eradication, contributing towards development and enhancing the modernisation of biomass conversion technologies, Uganda launched a renewable energy policy in 2007. Social acceptance is among the factors which can determine successful outcomes for renewable energy projects, and, given the newness of the renewable energy industry in Uganda, this study enhances knowledge on how specific aspects of social acceptance, namely knowledge, perceptions and utilization, play out among local communities in in the country. Two communities, were interrogated using a survey technique in Kampala and Wakiso districts, areas where renewable energy projects are starting to be developed. This research found that fragmented knowledge around renewable energy exists, and that tertiary education, employment and income influence knowledge creation in the studied area. Perceptions around renewable energy were highly positive, yet people‟s ability to identify only economic benefits could introduce negative attitudes or conflicts in the future. This study provides unique insights into the relationship between renewable energy and local communities in in two areas in Uganda, calling for greater understanding of local social context, specifically communities and their social structures, in deployment of renewable energy technologies.