Solar products are increasingly framed as being integral to addressing energy poverty in the
Global South. This is especially the case in sub-Saharan Africa where the promise of
centralized grids has given way to an emphasis on off-grid market-based solutions. While
these solutions promise much, the quality and originality of these products is often
contested. In this paper, we draw upon ethnographic insights from Malawi's solar market to
examine the energy justice implications of this deepening reliance on markets to provide …