"One of the pressing challenges to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is access to electrical power. The region is endowed with natural resources that can meet this challenge. Yet, 620 million people in SSA lack access to electricity from a central grid, most of them living in rural areas. In Nigeria, there is a large gap in electricity access between rural and urban areas; only about 40 percent have access in rural areas as compared to almost 60 percent in urban areas. The Nigerian government has pursued a range of energy and development policies to increase access to electricity by 2020; their goal is to increase the amount of electricity from renewables to 2,000 megawatts. Despite such strategies and efforts, households continue to experience erratic supply of electricity and extended periods of black outs. Therefore, it remains critical to explore ways in which households can access electricity. The following dissertation is divided into three empirical studies. In the first study, a descriptive method is used to provide several insights on energy poverty in the Nigerian context, by examining the sources, expenditures, and challenges of access to energy. In the second study, discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are used to estimate the demand for off-grid solar electricity. In the final study, results from the descriptive method and DCEs are integrated into a system dynamics model (SDM) to simulate drivers of adoption for off-grid solar electricity over time. Findings from the first study indicate that as income increases, households consume more fuelwood and charcoal, are more dependent on petrol-powered generators for electricity, expressed interest in alternative sources of electricity, specifically off-grid solar electricity. DCE findings highlight tradeoffs households are willing to make to adopt this type of electricity. Finally, adjustment of prices, market access, and consumer preference parameters in the SDM underline several policies that can encourage or suppress off-grid solar electricity adoption."--Pages ii-iii.
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