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Speaker: Elise Harrington, University of Minnesota Moderator: Heidi Ries, University of Minnesota 

About the talk: Pay-as-you-go off-grid solar in Kenya increases the short-term affordability of solar systems for rural households, with the potential to shrink the electricity access gap in regions with no or unreliable grid access. International and domestic programs aim to harmonize measures of technical quality across markets and provide accurate information to consumers about solar products, but information alone does not necessarily translate to actionable knowledge for off-grid solar services. Awareness of safeguards, such as a warranty, does not always translate in the use of consumer safeguards in practice. Consumer experiences with off-grid solar vary across distribution models, with differences in consumer knowledge about terms, conditions, and after-sales services. Using original survey data from Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya, Dr. Harrington examines the effect of frontline actors in off-grid solar distribution on knowledge of consumer safeguards. She…