This study examined the role of solar energy adoption in rural Uganda and its contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7). Using a mixed-methods approach, data was collected from 300 households across selected rural districts through surveys, structured interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings revealed that despite the significant benefits of solar energy, adoption rates remained low at 14% due to interconnected barriers including financial constraints, knowledge gaps, and limited effectiveness of existing promotion initiatives. Solar users experienced substantial advantages compared to non-users, including a 42% reduction in monthly energy expenditure, 3.7 additional hours of daily lighting, 26.4% lower incidence of respiratory illnesses, and increased productive time for education and business activities. Financial factors emerged as the most significant barriers to adoption, with the high upfront costs of solar systems being prohibitive for many low-income households, 49% of which earned less than $50 monthly. Various solar promotion initiatives showed different levels of effectiveness, with NGO-led programs and community-based approaches achieving higher perceived effectiveness ratings than government subsidy programs. The study concluded that accelerating solar energy adoption in rural Uganda required multi-faceted interventions addressing affordability constraints, knowledge gaps, technical support needs, and institutional challenges simultaneously, and recommended implementing tiered financing mechanisms, developing comprehensive community-based education programs, and strengthening technical support systems and quality assurance frameworks. Key Words: Renewable Energy, SDG and Solar Power Adoption Background of the study Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern