Sociotechnical misalignments and micro-renewables adoption: The case of distributed solar PV in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper investigates the obstacles to Distributive Generation (DG) uptake in Pakistan, finding inertia and resistance from incumbent actors as key and understanding this as a problem of misaligned institutional logics. Focusing particularly on bank finance and drawing lightly on a neo-institutional framework of types of logic and mechanism – we highlight misalignment of regulative, cognitive, and normative aspects of the institutionalized system, driven in particular by difficulties in acquiring finance, and lack of sufficient incentives for the distribution companies to facilitate DG. This in turn leads to: (i) the continuance of user preferences for fossil-fuel back-up energy systems that compensate for daily power outages; (ii) under-facilitation of DG by the incumbent distribution companies; (iii) restricted lending behavior; (iv) and, overall, limited planning, coordination, and collaboration between the actors in the system. While focused on Pakistan, the attributes that the country shares with several others in the region allow for some generalization of the findings.