When well begun is half done:How the adoption of sustainable energy technologies can lead to sustainable use of the technologies and other pro-environmental behaviours

The adoption of sustainable energy technologies (such as solar photovoltaics or electric vehicles) is on the rise. To realise a sustainable energy transition people do not only need to adopt these technologies, but also use them in a sustainable way by shifting their energy use in time to match the available supply of sustainable energy, and to engage in sustainable behaviour more generally. This dissertation studied whether and how the adoption of sustainable energy technologies is related to sustainable use of the technologies and the engagement in other pro-environmental behaviours, and how the engagement in these behaviours can be promoted. The results show people are more likely to use a sustainable energy technology (in this case: an electric vehicle) in a sustainable way and to engage in other pro-environmental behaviours when they adopted the technology for environmental (rather than financial) reasons, as doing so makes them more likely to realise they are a pro-environmental person (i.e., strengthen their environmental self-identity). These findings suggest that sustainable use of a sustainable energy technology could be promoted by strengthening the environmental (rather than for example financial) motivation to adopt sustainable energy technology. Yet, this may be easier said than done, as emphasizing the environmental benefits did not promote sustainable use of the technologies nor the engagement in other sustainable behaviours. We further found that people tend to use a sustainable energy technology (in this case: solar photovoltaics) in a less sustainable way than they anticipated. These results indicate it is important to support people to act in line with their plans to promote sustainable use of the technology

Beyond purchasing: Electric vehicle adoption motivation and consistent sustainable energy behaviour in The Netherlands

Adoption of smart energy technologies, such as electric vehicles (EVs), can significantly reduce fossil energy use, provided that adopters of an EV also use the EV in a sustainable way. Hence, it is key to understand which factors affect the likelihood that the adoption of EVs promotes the sustainable use of EVs, and promote consistent sustainable energy behaviours. We argue that the motivation to adopt an EV plays a key role in this respect. When people adopt an EV for environmental reasons, this will signal that they are a pro-environmental person, thereby strengthening environmental self-identity and promoting consistent sustainable energy behaviours. We conducted two cross-sectional studies among EV adopters to test our reasoning. As expected, the more people adopted an EV for environmental reasons, the stronger their environmental self-identity, in turn increasing the likelihood that they engaged in other sustainable energy behaviours. In contrast, adopting an EV for financial or technological reasons was not consistently related to environmental self-identity and sustainable energy behaviours. These results suggest that the motivation for adopting an EV is crucial for the likelihood that people engage in sustainable energy behaviour consistently, which is key to realise a sustainable energy transition

Agent-Based Modelling of Charging Behaviour of Electric Vehicle Drivers

The combination of electric vehicles (EVs) and intermittent renewable energy sources has received increasing attention over the last few years. Not only does charging electric vehicles with renewable energy realize their true potential as a clean mode of transport, charging electric vehicles at times of peaks in renewable energy production can help large scale integration of renewable energy in the existing energy infrastructure. We present an agent-based model that investigates the potential contribution of this combination. More specifically, we investigate the potential effects of different kinds of policy interventions on aggregate EV charging patterns. The policy interventions include financial incentives, automated smart charging, information campaigns and social charging. We investigate how well the resulting charging patterns are aligned with renewable energy production and how much they affect user satisfaction of EV drivers. Where possible, we integrate empirical data in our model, to ensure realistic scenarios. We use recent theory from environmental psychology to determine agent behaviour, contrary to earlier simulation models, which have focused only on technical and financial considerations. Based on our simulation results, we articulate some policy recommendations. Furthermore, we point to future research directions for environmental psychology scholars and modelers who want to use theory to inform simulation models of energy systems