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Consumers’ Attitudes to Support Green Energy: A Case Study in Shanghai

Author

Listed:
  • Behrang Vand

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
    Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK)

  • Aira Hast

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland)

  • Sanaz Bozorg

    (Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland)

  • Zelin Li

    (Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Low and Medium Grade Energy (Tianjin University), Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300350, China)

  • Sanna Syri

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland)

  • Shuai Deng

    (Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Low and Medium Grade Energy (Tianjin University), Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin 300350, China)

Abstract

Residents’ willingness to use green energy products is a major concern for different stakeholders and policymakers due to the reformed Chinese electricity market since 2015. This study focused on the Chinese consumer’s willingness to opt and pay for environmentally-friendly electricity sources in Shanghai’s residential sector. A questionnaire survey was used to find out the influence of gender, age, education, awareness and income level on consumers’ attitudes to alter their energy sources to green ones. The results indicated that income level and awareness are significant barriers in the usage of green energy products. Increasing the respondent’s awareness about the issues of non-green energy products convinced 97% of them to change their electricity sources completely or partly, in line with their monthly income. This clearly shows that clarifying the benefits of green energy products is a key tool to achieve a green environment in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Behrang Vand & Aira Hast & Sanaz Bozorg & Zelin Li & Sanna Syri & Shuai Deng, 2019. "Consumers’ Attitudes to Support Green Energy: A Case Study in Shanghai," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:12:p:2379-:d:241648
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