Solar Access in Ugandan Refugee Camps: Infrastructure and Costs Analysis

Solar energy access in Ugandan refugee camps has been limited, necessitating a detailed analysis of infrastructure development and household costs to inform sustainable solutions. A mixed-method approach combining qualitative interviews with quantitative data collection from a sample of refugee households was employed to evaluate solar access and its economic impact. Solar energy systems have shown an average cost-effectiveness ratio of $0.5 per kWh, indicating that the technology is viable for reducing energy expenses in these camps. The analysis highlights significant disparities in household adoption rates based on socio-economic factors, underscoring the need for targeted support programmes to maximise solar energy access. Policy recommendations include subsidizing initial installation costs and promoting community-based financing models to accelerate solar infrastructure development. The maintenance outcome was modelled as Yᵢₜ=β₀+β₁Xᵢₜ+uᵢ+εᵢₜ, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.