Off-grid solar electric power is a promising technology for remote regions in rural Africa where expansion of the electricity grids is prohibitively expensive. Using household data from a target region of an off-grid solar promotion program in the Kénédougou province in Burkina Faso, this paper explores the role of quality-verified branded solar home systems (SHS) versus non-branded ones. We find that the adoption rate of non-branded SHS is considerably higher at 36% compared to 8% for branded SHS. We compare potential quality differences as well as the cost-effectiveness of branded and non-branded solar products. We show that non-branded SHSs offer a similar service level as branded solar, that they do not fall behind in terms of consumer satisfaction and durability, and that non-branded products are more cost-effective. These findings suggest that promotion programs and branded solar products do not seem to be necessary in Burkina Faso and might also not be needed to establish sustainable off-grid solar markets elsewhere provided that non-branded products are available. The challenge however is to reach the very poor who are unable to bring up investment costs for any electricity.

离网太阳能电力是非洲农村偏远地区的有前途的技术，在非洲偏远地区，电网的扩张非常昂贵。本文使用来自布基纳法索科纳杜古省离网太阳能推广计划目标区域的家庭数据，探讨了经过质量验证的品牌太阳能家用系统（SHS）与非品牌太阳能家用系统之间的作用。我们发现，非品牌SHS的采用率为36％，而品牌SHS的采用率为8％。我们比较了品牌和非品牌太阳能产品的潜在质量差异以及成本效益。我们表明，非品牌SHS提供的服务水平与品牌太阳能相似，在消费者满意度和耐用性方面均不落后，并且非品牌产品更具成本效益。这些发现表明，在布基纳法索看来促销计划和品牌太阳能产品似乎不是必需的，并且只要有非品牌产品可用，在其他地方建立可持续的离网太阳能市场也可能不需要。然而，挑战在于如何解决无法负担任何电力投资成本的贫困人口。