IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v116y2018ipap458-469.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Microgeneration: The installer perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Hanna, Richard
  • Leach, Matthew
  • Torriti, Jacopo

Abstract

This paper presents an exploratory analysis of microgeneration installer businesses in the UK during a period of intense change in policies supporting microgeneration from 2010 to 2012. The research examines the influence of installer businesses on rates of uptake and standards of installation, and the interplay between business practices and the policy environment. The research developed new detailed datasets through a nationwide survey, to which 388 installers responded, and follow-up interviews with 22 installers. Focusing on solar photovoltaics and air source heat pumps installed in households, the results show the fundamental dependence of installer businesses on government financial incentives and on the quality assurance scheme in operation. Market confidence was compromised by the sharp reduction in the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) for residential solar PV in 2012 and long delays to the equivalent Renewable Heat Incentive for residential installations. Nevertheless, more modest FIT levels have reduced the risk of sub-optimal installations and inappropriate specification of microgeneration systems. The findings underline the need for consistent policy to allow installer businesses and their supply chains to develop and mature, and thus facilitate commercial deployment of microgeneration of high quality, raise its competiveness with incumbent forms of energy supply and contribute to decarbonisation goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanna, Richard & Leach, Matthew & Torriti, Jacopo, 2018. "Microgeneration: The installer perspective," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(PA), pages 458-469.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:116:y:2018:i:pa:p:458-469
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.09.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148117308856
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2017.09.023?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keirstead, James, 2007. "Behavioural responses to photovoltaic systems in the UK domestic sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 4128-4141, August.
    2. Greening, Benjamin & Azapagic, Adisa, 2014. "Domestic solar thermal water heating: A sustainable option for the UK?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 23-36.
    3. Sauter, Raphael & Watson, Jim, 2007. "Strategies for the deployment of micro-generation: Implications for social acceptance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2770-2779, May.
    4. Singh, H. & Muetze, A. & Eames, P.C., 2010. "Factors influencing the uptake of heat pump technology by the UK domestic sector," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 873-878.
    5. Simpson, Genevieve & Clifton, Julian, 2014. "Picking winners and policy uncertainty: Stakeholder perceptions of Australia's Renewable Energy Target," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 128-135.
    6. Candelise, Chiara & Winskel, Mark & Gross, Robert J.K., 2013. "The dynamics of solar PV costs and prices as a challenge for technology forecasting," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 96-107.
    7. Schilling, Melissa A. & Esmundo, Melissa, 2009. "Technology S-curves in renewable energy alternatives: Analysis and implications for industry and government," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 1767-1781, May.
    8. Connor, Peter M. & Xie, Lei & Lowes, Richard & Britton, Jessica & Richardson, Thomas, 2015. "The development of renewable heating policy in the United Kingdom," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 733-744.
    9. Faiers, Adam & Neame, Charles, 2006. "Consumer attitudes towards domestic solar power systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(14), pages 1797-1806, September.
    10. Simpson, Genevieve & Clifton, Julian, 2015. "The emperor and the cowboys: The role of government policy and industry in the adoption of domestic solar microgeneration systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 141-151.
    11. Balcombe, Paul & Rigby, Dan & Azapagic, Adisa, 2014. "Investigating the importance of motivations and barriers related to microgeneration uptake in the UK," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 403-418.
    12. Cherrington, R. & Goodship, V. & Longfield, A. & Kirwan, K., 2013. "The feed-in tariff in the UK: A case study focus on domestic photovoltaic systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 421-426.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Renaldi, Renaldi & Hall, Richard & Jamasb, Tooraj & Roskilly, Anthony P., 2021. "Experience rates of low-carbon domestic heating technologies in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    2. Rúa, Diego & Castaneda, Monica & Zapata, Sebastian & Dyner, Isaac, 2020. "Simulating the efficient diffusion of photovoltaics in Bogotá: An urban metabolism approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    3. Kozarcanin, S. & Hanna, R. & Staffell, I. & Gross, R. & Andresen, G.B., 2020. "Impact of climate change on the cost-optimal mix of decentralised heat pump and gas boiler technologies in Europe," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    4. Maria A. Franco & Stefan N. Groesser, 2021. "A Systematic Literature Review of the Solar Photovoltaic Value Chain for a Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-35, August.
    5. Hasan Dinçer & Serhat Yüksel & Tamer Aksoy & Ümit Hacıoğlu, 2022. "Application of M-SWARA and TOPSIS Methods in the Evaluation of Investment Alternatives of Microgeneration Energy Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Rigo, Paula D. & Siluk, Julio Cezar M. & Lacerda, Daniel P. & Spellmeier, Júlia P., 2022. "Competitive business model of photovoltaic solar energy installers in Brazil," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 39-50.
    7. Svetlana Balashova & Svetlana Ratner & Konstantin Gomonov & Andrey Berezin, 2020. "Modeling Consumer and Industry Reaction to Renewable Support Schemes: Empirical Evidence from the USA and Applications for Russia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 10(3), pages 158-167.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Simpson, Genevieve & Clifton, Julian, 2016. "Subsidies for residential solar photovoltaic energy systems in Western Australia: Distributional, procedural and outcome justice," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 262-273.
    2. Klingler, Anna-Lena, 2017. "Self-consumption with PV+Battery systems: A market diffusion model considering individual consumer behaviour and preferences," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 1560-1570.
    3. Collier, Samuel H.C. & House, Jo I. & Connor, Peter M. & Harris, Richard, 2023. "Distributed local energy: Assessing the determinants of domestic-scale solar photovoltaic uptake at the local level across England and Wales," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    4. Simpson, Genevieve & Clifton, Julian, 2015. "The emperor and the cowboys: The role of government policy and industry in the adoption of domestic solar microgeneration systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 141-151.
    5. Alipour, Mohammad & Taghikhah, Firouzeh & Irannezhad, Elnaz & Stewart, Rodney A. & Sahin, Oz, 2022. "How the decision to accept or reject PV affects the behaviour of residential battery system adopters," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    6. Katherine Ellsworth-Krebs & Louise Reid, 2016. "Conceptualising energy prosumption: Exploring energy production, consumption and microgeneration in Scotland, UK," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(10), pages 1988-2005, October.
    7. Alipour, M. & Salim, H. & Stewart, Rodney A. & Sahin, Oz, 2020. "Predictors, taxonomy of predictors, and correlations of predictors with the decision behaviour of residential solar photovoltaics adoption: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    8. Sara Ghaboulian Zare & Reza Hafezi & Mohammad Alipour & Reza Parsaei Tabar & Rodney A. Stewart, 2021. "Residential Solar Water Heater Adoption Behaviour: A Review of Economic and Technical Predictors and Their Correlation with the Adoption Decision," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-26, October.
    9. Sommerfeldt, Nelson & Madani, Hatef, 2017. "Revisiting the techno-economic analysis process for building-mounted, grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems: Part one – Review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1379-1393.
    10. Parkins, John R. & Rollins, Curtis & Anders, Sven & Comeau, Louise, 2018. "Predicting intention to adopt solar technology in Canada: The role of knowledge, public engagement, and visibility," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 114-122.
    11. Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Yildirim, Julide & Connor, Peter M., 2015. "Regional distribution of photovoltaic deployment in the UK and its determinants: A spatial econometric approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 417-429.
    12. Leenheer, Jorna & de Nooij, Michiel & Sheikh, Omer, 2011. "Own power: Motives of having electricity without the energy company," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 5621-5629, September.
    13. Allan, Grant & Eromenko, Igor & Gilmartin, Michelle & Kockar, Ivana & McGregor, Peter, 2015. "The economics of distributed energy generation: A literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 543-556.
    14. Inna Lazanyuk & Svetlana Ratner & Svetlana Revinova & Konstantin Gomonov & Swati Modi, 2023. "Diffusion of Renewable Microgeneration on the Side of End-User: Multiple Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-22, March.
    15. Lafond, François & Bailey, Aimee Gotway & Bakker, Jan David & Rebois, Dylan & Zadourian, Rubina & McSharry, Patrick & Farmer, J. Doyne, 2018. "How well do experience curves predict technological progress? A method for making distributional forecasts," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 104-117.
    16. Briguglio, Marie & Formosa, Glenn, 2017. "When households go solar: Determinants of uptake of a Photovoltaic Scheme and policy insights," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 154-162.
    17. Paul Westacott & Chiara Candelise, 2016. "A Novel Geographical Information Systems Framework to Characterize Photovoltaic Deployment in the UK: Initial Evidence," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-20, January.
    18. Oliva H, Sebastian, 2018. "Assessing the growth of residential PV exports with energy efficiency and the opportunity for local generation network credits," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 451-459.
    19. Paul Simshauser & Tim Nelson & Joel Gilmore, 2022. "The sunshine state: implications from mass rooftop solar PV take-up rates in Queensland," Working Papers EPRG2219, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    20. Strazzera, Elisabetta & Statzu, Vania, 2017. "Fostering photovoltaic technologies in Mediterranean cities: Consumers’ demand and social acceptance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(PB), pages 361-371.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:116:y:2018:i:pa:p:458-469. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.