Regardless of its critical role in driving socio-economic development, Malawi has yet to transition from basic energy access to productive use. Therefore, this study investigated barriers that constrain renewable energy adoption for productive use in Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Mangochi. The study used a mixed approach to achieve the study objectives by using structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and literature review methods. The findings revealed that the country experiences an average global horizontal irradiance of 5.8 kWh/m 2 /day and 2138 to 3087 h of sunshine annually, hydropower potential of 1670 MW, including 22 small hydro sites with capacities of between 5 and 2, 250 kW, average wind speeds of 4 to 5 m/s, and geothermal resources (90%), and regardless of its vulnerability, it accounts for 80.1% of energy used for productive use, while solar and biomass account for 1.7% and 6.2%, respectively. However, some SMEs use multiple energy sources to cope with the unreliability of the energy supply. Awareness of RE resources is skewed toward solar (29%) and solar-hydro combinations (50%), with wind recognised by only 1%, and the awareness of biogas, gensets, geothermal, and battery storage was at 28.6%, 26.5%, 12.2%, and 6.1%, respectively. A review of 32 RE systems shows 74% are small (10–100 kW), only 56% are fully functional, and just 14 support energy-intensive activities. Key constraints include high energy use costs, installation costs, and unreliable supply at 18.4%, 11.7%, and 11.7%, respectively. Strengthening financing, technical capacity, system design, and policy coordination is essential to scale RE-driven PUE, improve reliability, and support SME growth and national development goals.
Chamdimba et al. (Thu,) studied this question.