Early adopters and their motives: Differences between earlier and later adopters of residential solar photovoltaics

To facilitate and forecast the diffusion of sustainable innovations, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), it is important to understand what motivates people to adopt them. Early adopters are known to be partly driven by other motives than late adopters, and adoption motives may thus change over time as new user segments gain interest in the technology. This paper investigates differences in adoption motives between the earliest and somewhat later adopters of residential PV systems. First, a systematic literature review is conducted, in which the findings of previous studies are mapped against the market maturity of their empirical contexts. The review reveals that the earliest PV adopters are driven mainly by environmental concern and technophilia, while later adopters are driven predominantly by economic gains. Second, an empirical investigation of Swedish adopters over a nine-year period is conducted, using Green Party voting as a proxy for environmental concern. It is found that the relationship between Green Party voting and PV adoption weakens over time, again suggesting that the earliest adopters are more driven by non-financial motives such as environmental concern than later adopters. The results can inform diffusion forecasting as well as marketing and information campaigning intended to induce PV adoptions

Innovation systems for technology diffusion: An analytical framework and two case studies

Existing theories on the diffusion of innovations fail to sufficiently account for contextual factors such as institutions, infrastructure, and supply-side dynamics. This paper presents a novel framework to analyse technology diffusion from a sociotechnical systems perspective, intended as an analytical tool to identify and assess drivers and barriers to diffusion that could be addressed through policy or business strategy. This framework, referred to as the diffusion innovation system (DIS) approach, is positioned within the innovation systems literature. The framework is applied to two empirical cases of renewable energy technology diffusion in Sweden: solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind power. The cases illustrate how key factors related to institutions, infrastructure, adopters, and supply co-develop over time as the technologies diffuse, hence demonstrating the merits of the framework. As these changes are both a reaction to and a cause of diffusion, the sociotechnical diffusion system develops through positive feedback loops. Although the systems\u27 development is largely conducive of diffusion, some remaining and potential barriers are identified

Solar business model adoption by energy incumbents: the importance of strategic fit

This paper answers recent calls to give more attention to the business strategies of incumbent actors regarding innovation and socio-technical transitions. We map the solar business model adoption of 30 Swedish electric utility incumbents and examine to what extent it can be explained by the strategic fit with the utilities\u27 established business models, corporate strategies, and external environment. We find that all three dimensions need to be considered in order to explain adoption. Alignment with the established business model is mainly important concerning activities, resources, and partnerships, and utilities also re-configure solar models to increase this alignment (e.g. through outsourcing). However, it is not the main driver for adoption. Instead, incentives and pressures related to corporate strategies and external environment induce or block retailers from adopting solar models. By demonstrating the importance of strategic fit, these findings provide a more nuanced understanding of industry incumbent\u27s strategies in relation to emerging technologies

Matching energy targets, stakeholders’ needs and modelling choices in developing urban energy scenarios

In order to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals, cities need to develop robust energy transition strategies relying both on the local capacity of combining social, economic and environmental perspectives in the decision-making process and on the collaboration between different actors to achieve knowledge and data integration. Scenarios are well-established methodological instruments to guide decisions in energy and spatial planning and have been employed to compare possible future pathways and envision the consequences of implementing decarbonization measures. However, qualitative and quantitative scenarios approaches are often disconnected. With the primary goal of supporting the implementation of the energy plan, this study develops for the City of Gothenburg a participatory method to support the alignment of qualitative and quantitative scenarios approaches.Decarbonization actions and drivers of change were discussed and prioritized in workshop sessions with representatives from the energy supplier(s), municipal administrations (city planners, environmental department), and researchers to develop relevant qualitative scenarios descriptions. Based on this, a list ofrequirements for quantitative scenarios analysis is developed to be, in a next step, translated and integrated into urban building energy models. Findings indicate the importance of early knowledge integration from different fields and highlight the lines of advancement in urban energy modelling to facilitate decision-making towards successful implementation of decarbonization targets

Pathways towards carbon neutrality: A participatory analysis of the Gothenburg’s energy plan

Among International Energy Agency members, Sweden is one of the upfront countries in implementing energy policies to achieve zero net emissions. Despite having the lowest share of fossil sources in its primary energy supply, becoming carbon neutral by 2045 is a challenging target. To meet the national goal, cities’ roadmaps and strategic plans have a leading role in facilitating the implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable production systems. However, succeeding in city energy transitions requires envisioning and understanding of risk and vulnerability levels of the new socio-technical energy system. This study presents a review of the City of Gothenburg’s Energy Plan 2022-2030 and discusses potential challengesfor its implementation. Based on a document study, stakeholder workshop, and interviews the research identifies four key aspects: i) the coordination between energy and urban planning, ii) the future stability of district heating and cooling, iii) the balance in electrification of the buildings and transport, iv) communication and tools in decision-making processes. Finally, the study suggests new measures that should be allocated in the plan to guarantee the development of instruments and analysis for addressing the identified challenges

Local factors driving the diffusion of solar photovoltaics in Sweden: A case study of five municipalities in an early market

Local factors influencing the rate of diffusion of residential photovoltaic (PV) systems are insufficiently understood. This multiple-case study explored five Swedish municipalities which have had a particularly high PV density in terms of number of installations per capita, compared to other municipalities. The aim was to identify and assess local factors that could explain these relatively high rates of PV diffusion. This was done through a survey sent to PV adopters in the five case municipalities, interviews with local actors and comprehensive Internet search queries. These five cases were also compared to fifty municipalities with low PV diffusion rates, which were studied in less depth. Peer effects (individuals influencing each other to adopt PV) and local organisations promoting PV were identified as important explanatory factors for the high local PV diffusion rates. In particular, electric utilities have successfully taken an active role in supporting PV, purchasing the surplus electricity of PV adopters, selling turnkey PV systems and disseminating information through seminars and their web pages

Peer effects in residential solar photovoltaics adoption—A mixed methods study of Swedish users

Neighbourhood peer effects (social influence) in the diffusion of residential solar photovoltaics (PV) have previously been identified and quantified in a number of studies. Yet, little has been known about the inner workings of peer effects in PV diffusion. In the present work, a survey and interviews were used to study peer effects among Swedish PV adopters. Participants acknowledged peer effects as important for their adoption decision, although they had in general been seriously contemplating PV adoption before the effects. The main function of peer effects appears to have been a confirmation that PV works as intended and without hassle, rather than the procreation of unexpected insights or the provision of more advanced information. Peer effects had mainly occurred through existing and rather close social relationships, rather than between neighbours that did not already know each other. Peer effects appear to have reduced barriers related to PV attributes such as low trialability and low observability of the actual results of adoption. The results suggest that passive peer effects (through seeing PV) were less important than active effects (through direct interpersonal contact), and that seeing PV rarely led to direct contact with adopters, a finding that contrast somewhat to previous literature

Residential solar photovoltaics deployment: barriers and drivers in space

In order to support a sustainability transition in the energy sector, actors need knowledge about barriers and drivers to the deployment of clean energy technologies. Solar photovoltaics (PV) is a renewable energy technology that is technically mature and on the verge of becoming economically competitive in numerous regions around the world. Not least in the residential segment, PV has considerable potential. Even after residential PV has reached economic competitiveness, however, the technology might still face important barriers in the sociotechnical system in which it is to be deployed. This thesis aims at adding knowledge about barriers and drivers to the deployment of residential PV systems. The research takes a sociotechnical systems perspective and demonstrates how the technological innovation systems (TIS) framework can be amended by the business models and the diffusion of innovations frameworks to study the deployment of a mature technology in a catching-up market, treating technology development and production as a ‘black box’. The research is largely based on case studies and uses various modes of data collection and analysis. The bulk of the research was performed in Swedish settings on the national and local levels, although the United States, Germany and Japan were also studied. Studying these different contexts, the thesis builds knowledge about barriers and drivers on different spatial scales. The researched focused on the period between 2009 and 2014. The results highlight various barriers and drivers in the studied contexts. On the national level, the Swedish sociotechnical system for PV deployment has been immature and infested by various institutional barriers. Swedish subsidies for PV deployment have been flawed with uncertainties, complexities and discontinuations, and there have been important uncertainties regarding the future development of the institutional set-up. The results also demonstrate how barriers in different national contexts have been decisive for what kinds of business models for PV deployment that have been viable. On the local level in Sweden, the results show how actors such as local electric utilities and private individuals have influenced homeowners to adopt PV through information dissemination and social influence (peer effects). The results can inform policymakers, firms and other actors as to how to support PV deployment