IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/rbs/ijbrss/v12y2023i8p335-347.html

Green energy pathways: differing perspectives to green energy transitions among homeowners

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher Tarisayi Chikandiwa

    (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)

  • Emmanuel Mutambara

    (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)

Abstract

The ostensible gravity of rapidly increasing the numbers of homeowners producing green electricity and heat energy in their homes cannot be overlooked for sustainability. However, there is a dearth of research on the existence of barriers to, and the drivers for energy switching among South African households. Thus, this article explored the reasons for the adoption and non-adoption of renewable energy technologies by examining the motivations for, as well as the barriers to the installation or retrofitting of the microgeneration technologies in KwaZulu-Natal a province of South Africa. The purposive sampling approach was used to collect data from 19 university academics through semi-structured interviews. The data were interpreted through content and descriptive analysis. The findings of the study indicated several reasons why house owners are motivated to adopt microgeneration technologies and this included self-sufficiency, saving on energy costs, the desire to protect the environment. On the other hand, the house owners put forward the following reasons for not adopting: high initial costs, lack of adequate information about the technologies, as well as the perceived complexity of the procurement process. These findings are essential for policy makers and other stakeholders, when developing policies and strategies to heighten the adoption rate of microgeneration. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the adoption process of the microgeneration should be well coordinated. Key Words: Energy, Solar, Microgeneration Technologies, Adoption, Smart city.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Tarisayi Chikandiwa & Emmanuel Mutambara, 2023. "Green energy pathways: differing perspectives to green energy transitions among homeowners," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 12(8), pages 335-347, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:12:y:2023:i:8:p:335-347
    DOI: 10.20525/ijrbs.v12i8.2628
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ssbfnet.com/ojs/index.php/ijrbs/article/view/2628/2073
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i8.2628
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i8.2628?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shen, Liyin & Zhang, Zhenyu & Long, Zhijian, 2017. "Significant barriers to green procurement in real estate development," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 160-168.
    2. Houda Elmustapha & Thomas Hoppe & Hans Bressers, 2018. "Understanding Stakeholders’ Views and the Influence of the Socio-Cultural Dimension on the Adoption of Solar Energy Technology in Lebanon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Palm, Jenny, 2018. "Household installation of solar panels – Motives and barriers in a 10-year perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-8.
    4. Allen, S.R. & Hammond, G.P. & McManus, M.C., 2008. "Prospects for and barriers to domestic micro-generation: A United Kingdom perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(6), pages 528-544, June.
    5. Baskaran, Ramesh & Managi, Shunsuke & Bendig, Mirko, 2013. "A public perspective on the adoption of microgeneration technologies in New Zealand: A multivariate probit approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 177-188.
    6. Heiskanen, Eva & Matschoss, Kaisa, 2017. "Understanding the uneven diffusion of building-scale renewable energy systems: A review of household, local and country level factors in diverse European countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 580-591.
    7. Sommerfeld, Jeff & Buys, Laurie & Vine, Desley, 2017. "Residential consumers’ experiences in the adoption and use of solar PV," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 10-16.
    8. Jelena Zorić; & Nevenka Hrovatin, 2012. "Determinants of residential heating preferences in Slovenia," International Journal of Sustainable Economy, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(2), pages 181-196.
    9. Rai, Varun & Reeves, D. Cale & Margolis, Robert, 2016. "Overcoming barriers and uncertainties in the adoption of residential solar PV," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 498-505.
    10. Joubert, E.C. & Hess, S. & Van Niekerk, J.L., 2016. "Large-scale solar water heating in South Africa: Status, barriers and recommendations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 809-822.
    11. Balcombe, Paul & Rigby, Dan & Azapagic, Adisa, 2015. "Environmental impacts of microgeneration: Integrating solar PV, Stirling engine CHP and battery storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 245-259.
    12. Shigeru Matsumoto, 2018. "Consumer valuation of energy-saving features of residential air conditioners with hedonic and choice models," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 55(4), pages 1779-1806, December.
    13. Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Watson, Tom & Mocca, Elisabetta, 2015. "Spatially uneven development and low carbon transitions: Insights from urban and regional planning," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 500-510.
    14. Kleijnen, Mirella & Lee, Nick & Wetzels, Martin, 2009. "An exploration of consumer resistance to innovation and its antecedents," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 344-357, June.
    15. Claudy, Marius C. & Michelsen, Claus & O'Driscoll, Aidan, 2011. "The diffusion of microgeneration technologies - assessing the influence of perceived product characteristics on home owners' willingness to pay," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1459-1469, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Spyridon Karytsas & Ioannis Vardopoulos & Eleni Theodoropoulou, 2019. "Factors Affecting Sustainable Market Acceptance of Residential Microgeneration Technologies. A Two Time Period Comparative Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-20, August.
    2. 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).
    3. Palm, Alvar & Lantz, Björn, 2020. "Information dissemination and residential solar PV adoption rates: The effect of an information campaign in Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    4. Hackbarth, André, 2018. "Attitudes, preferences, and intentions of German households concerning participation in peer-to-peer electricity trading," Reutlingen Working Papers on Marketing & Management 2019-2, Reutlingen University, ESB Business School.
    5. Sommerfeldt, Nelson & Lemoine, Ida & Madani, Hatef, 2022. "Hide and seek: The supply and demand of information for household solar photovoltaic investment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    6. Palm, A., 2020. "Early adopters and their motives: Differences between earlier and later adopters of residential solar photovoltaics," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    7. Hackbarth, André & Löbbe, Sabine, 2020. "Attitudes, preferences, and intentions of German households concerning participation in peer-to-peer electricity trading," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    8. Ortega-Izquierdo, Margarita & Paredes-Salvador, Andrés & Montoya-Rasero, Carlos, 2019. "Analysis of the decision making factors for heating and cooling systems in Spanish households," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 175-185.
    9. 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.
    10. Alipour, M. & Irannezhad, Elnaz & Stewart, Rodney A. & Sahin, Oz, 2022. "Exploring residential solar PV and battery energy storage adoption motivations and barriers in a mature PV market," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 684-698.
    11. José Ángel Gimeno & Eva Llera & Sabina Scarpellini, 2018. "Investment Determinants in Self-Consumption Facilities: Characterization and Qualitative Analysis in Spain," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-24, August.
    12. Khuong, Phuong M. & Scheller, Fabian & McKenna, Russell & Keles, Dogan & Fichtner, Wolf, 2020. "Willingness to pay for residential PV: Reconciling gaps between acceptance and adoption," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 46, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    13. Sabina Scarpellini & José Ángel Gimeno & Pilar Portillo-Tarragona & Eva Llera-Sastresa, 2021. "Financial Resources for the Investments in Renewable Self-Consumption in a Circular Economy Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-17, June.
    14. Londo, Marc & Matton, Robin & Usmani, Omar & van Klaveren, Marieke & Tigchelaar, Casper & Brunsting, Suzanne, 2020. "Alternatives for current net metering policy for solar PV in the Netherlands: A comparison of impacts on business case and purchasing behaviour of private homeowners, and on governmental costs," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 903-915.
    15. David Huckebrink & Valentin Bertsch, 2021. "Integrating Behavioural Aspects in Energy System Modelling—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-26, July.
    16. Neij, Lena & Heiskanen, Eva & Strupeit, Lars, 2017. "The deployment of new energy technologies and the need for local learning," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 274-283.
    17. Du, Hua & Han, Qi & de Vries, Bauke & Sun, Jun, 2024. "Community solar PV adoption in residential apartment buildings: A case study on influencing factors and incentive measures in Wuhan," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 354(PA).
    18. Toka, Agorasti & Iakovou, Eleftherios & Vlachos, Dimitrios & Tsolakis, Naoum & Grigoriadou, Anastasia-Loukia, 2014. "Managing the diffusion of biomass in the residential energy sector: An illustrative real-world case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 56-69.
    19. Woo, JongRoul & Moon, Sungho & Choi, Hyunhong, 2022. "Economic value and acceptability of advanced solar power systems for multi-unit residential buildings: The case of South Korea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    20. Natália Gava Gastaldo & Graciele Rediske & Paula Donaduzzi Rigo & Carmen Brum Rosa & Leandro Michels & Julio Cezar Mairesse Siluk, 2019. "What is the Profile of the Investor in Household Solar Photovoltaic Energy Systems?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-18, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:rbs:ijbrss:v:12:y:2023:i:8:p:335-347. 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: Umit Hacioglu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ssbffea.html .

    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.