Quantification of rural residents' willingness for electricity demand response: Insights from field simulation experiments

Owing to the lack of effective methods for collecting data on rural residents' willingness to participate in electricity demand response (EDR), it is difficult to accurately assess the electricity demand potential in rural areas and ensure the rationality of EDR policy formulation. Hence, this study developed a questionnaire survey method equipped with on-site simulation to accurately gather data on rural residents' willingness to adjust their usage of controllable household appliances. Furthermore, a comprehensive index system considering the stages of cognition, understanding, and acceptance was developed to evaluate rural residents' willingness to participate in EDR, and a binary probit model was then used to analyse the factors driving rural residents' willingness to participate in EDR. Results indicated that (1) approximately 95 % of rural residents demonstrated potential willingness to participate in EDR, manifesting in four distinct types, namely, cautious participation, proactive response, selective participation, and balanced participation. The proactive response group accounted for the largest proportion of participants (36.39 %). (2) Rural residents preferred to adjust electricity usage for scooters or air conditioners individually, but tended to operate washing machines with other appliances simultaneously. (3) Although simultaneously adjusting several appliances could reduce the electricity bill by as much as 28.78 %, the proportion of participants willing to choose this type of adjustment was the lowest (19 %). (4) Education level and occupation were the key factors affecting rural residents' willingness to participate in EDR.