The aim of this thesis was to provide new insights into the adoption of solar power
technologies. Policy has identified solar technologies capable of providing domestic
carbon reductions but limitations such as high capital costs and poor productivity are
preventing widespread adoption. The research problem was that neither the attitudes
of householders to the technology, nor their adoption decision processes had
previously been investigated. If these could be understood, policy interventions might
be more effective.
This research presents previously unseen adoption curves for solar power systems,
which by volume are less significant than conventional energy efficiency
technologies, but the ‘S’ curve shows a rate of adoption similar to insulation and
boiler systems. In addition, this research presents a comprehensive set of constructs
that householders use as heuristics in their decision making process. These constructs
were used in a survey of householders that showed both innovative and pragmatic
tendencies in order to gain insight to their attitudes towards the systems.
The results of this survey highlighted that adopters are mostly positive to solar power
systems, especially the environmental aspects. However, on aesthetic, operational and
financial issues, the responses indicated less positive attitudes by the ‘pragmatic’
majority. The survey confirmed the presence of a previously theorised ‘chasm’ that
demonstrated significant differences between earlier and later adopters. This
highlighted seven aspects of the technology that developers should consider, and also
a difference in the decision making process followed by the two sets of adopters.
Policy insights are discussed in relation to this