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It takes a village: The role of community attributes in shaping solar photovoltaic adoption intention in Germany

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  • Morrissey, Karyn
  • Scheller, Fabian

Abstract

The shared attributes, attitudes, and beliefs of communities can either act as a catalyst or a barrier to the adoption of pro-environmental behaviours such as the adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV). Using a multilevel mixed-effect modelling approach on survey data from 1800 German homeowners, we examine how individual/household and objective community attributes and their interplay shape the intention to adopt solar PV. Research findings indicate that a significant explanation of intention to adopt solar PV is related to unobserved community characteristics (13 %); with community level covariates including a proxy for spatial peer effects explains 8 % of this variance. Testing for spatial peer effects via a cross-level interaction, our findings suggest that a higher diffusion rate of PV installations in a community can positively influence intention to adopt Solar PV for households who on average have a low intention to adopt. Understanding the degree that individual versus area-based effects impact intention to adopt can provide policymakers with a framework to develop policies to incentivize the uptake of Solar PV among traditionally “hard-to-convince” population groups at the local level.

Suggested Citation

  • Morrissey, Karyn & Scheller, Fabian, 2024. "It takes a village: The role of community attributes in shaping solar photovoltaic adoption intention in Germany," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:237:y:2024:i:pa:s0960148124016100
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.121542
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