Households’ willingness to pay for solar cookers as a remedy to conflict induced deforestation in peri-urban districts of Tigray

Inadequate access to electricity—particularly in rural and peri-urban regions—has resulted in a heavy reliance on traditional biomass sources for cooking, which in turn exacerbates environmental concerns, undermining agricultural productivity and human health. Using solar cookers as alternative energy for cooking could lead to reduced reliance on traditional fuels, lower energy costs, and positive environmental impacts. However, it is unclear whether households’ are willing to pay (WTP) for solar cookers. We use data collected from two peri-urban districts of Tigray. A double-bounded contingent valuation (CV) survey along with follow-up questions employed to elicit relevant data. The Probit and Ordered Probit models are applied to predict variables influencing WTP. The findings indicate that the number of family members in productive age, age of the household head, and livestock wealth positively influences acceptance of the technology. Conversely, age in quadratic term, social capital and living far from all-weather roads negatively influences WTP. Individuals with more family members in the productive age, higher livestock wealth, wage income, and higher charcoal consumption are more inclined to pay higher bids. Conversely, participation in community organizations appears to decrease likelihood of paying higher bids, suggesting potential social dynamics that inclined towards lower bid offers. Further, the demand schedule indicates that lower bidding prices lead to increased demand, aligning with economic theory. This study can assist stakeholders—such as government agencies, clean energy proponents, and investors—in making informed decisions about investing in alternative solar cooker initiatives.