Exploring the challenges and potential of implementing community solar initiatives into Egypt’s urban subsidized low-income housing

The promising role of community-led energy initiatives in shaping a just transition to renewable energy has been underlined in the literature. Current research on community energy in developing countries focuses mainly on rural communities experiencing energy poverty, with less attention given to urban low-income communities. This study builds on strategic niche management theory to develop a framework that explores the potential and challenges of implementing community solar initiatives to support energy-poor urban communities in developing countries such as Egypt. Based on a qualitative study, which included 29 semi-structured interviews and resident workshops in three case studies of Egypt's urban subsidized low-income housing, the study reveals that the development and management of such a niche in Egypt faces significant challenges. These challenges include regulatory, political, financial, and operational issues, of which sociocultural barriers are the most significant. The study concludes that to realise the potential for community solar in such a developing context, the government's role needs to shift from providing energy subsidies to actively promoting community energy through building human capacity. It proposes a hybrid community energy model that integrates state incentives, microfinance schemes, and energy service companies. The study's contribution lies in giving a voice to diverse stakeholders, in particular the voiceless low-income communities, to propose measures to support the development of community solar initiatives in Egypt that can contribute to a just transition to renewable energy.