Financial benefits, such as saving on utility payments and avoiding electricity rate hikes, are a key driver of U.S. adults' willingness to consider installing rooftop solar panels or subscribing to community solar power, a new study suggests.
Researchers at The Ohio State University conducted a national survey to gauge consumer perceptions about adopting solar power. Though previous work has examined views about rooftop solar, this study is the first assessment of public opinion about accessing community solar energy for household use.
The findings led researchers to recommend that policymakers and industry leaders increase marketing campaign references to the practical reasons for embracing solar power - including saving money and improving property values without taking big risks - to encourage broader residential use.
"Emphasizing the practical benefits of adopting solar, whether it's rooftop or community, might be the most effective avenue to achieve increased adoption in the real world," said first author Naseem Dillman-Hasso, a doctoral candidate in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State.
The study also revealed that most participants didn't understand what community solar is and few had looked into it, suggesting more public awareness is needed to expand consumer access to this more equitably distributed renewable energy source, said senior author Nicole Sintov, associate professor of behavior, decision making and sustainability at Ohio State.
"Community solar is a great option for people who are unable to access rooftop solar," she said. "We show that there are still some significant barriers to entry, and we've got to start with letting people know what it is."
The research was published recently in the journal Energy Research & Social Science.
As of 2022, 8% of U.S homeowners had installed rooftop solar panels at an average cost of between $17,000 and $23,000 after applying a federal tax credit, according to the Pew Research Center. Under community solar programs, energy generated at an off-site solar array is supplied to multiple customers within a defined geographical area who receive credit on their electricity bills for energy produced by their share of the project.
With residential solar use still relatively low, Sintov and Dillman-Hasso sought to understand what could motivate households to consider solar as an energy option.
They based the study on a consumer behavior theory suggesting that three common factors, or attributes, contribute to adoption of sustainable innovations - practical purposes (instrumental attributes), conveying one's social consciousness to others (symbolic) and protecting the planet (environmental).
A sample of 1,433 adults living in the United States was recruited for the online survey. Participants were asked about their willingness to adopt rooftop or community solar and whether they had taken action toward adoption, such as researching the options, talking with friends or family, or contacting an industry expert.
They also were asked to agree or disagree with a series of statements representing the instrumental, symbolic and environmental attributes related to adopting solar. For example, the statements said purchasing or leasing solar "means that I'm a good community member," "would save me money" and "would be a good way to reduce my environmental impact."
Statistical analysis showed that positive feelings about all three attributes increased the likelihood respondents would be willing to pursue rooftop or community solar as a household power source. But the factors linked to practical benefits (including finances) were "by far the strongest predictor above and beyond anything else," Dillman-Hasso said.
The magnitude of the effect of practical factors was a surprise, but it wasn't the only surprising finding in the study.
Participants were less willing to consider subscribing to community solar than to take on rooftop solar installation - even though rooftop solar generally isn't available to people who don't own their home or can't afford the installation.
"You don't want to adopt something that you don't know about," Dillman-Hasso said. "Given the realities of community solar having much lower barriers to adoption - you don't need financing and you don't have to physically put panels on your roof - it was interesting to see that the willingness to adopt community solar was lower than rooftop.
"That potentially points to a lack of knowledge or more apprehension around a newer distribution method of electricity."
As a behavioral scientist, Sintov said she doesn't typically issue a generic call for "raising awareness," given humans' complexity - but in the context of community solar, the phrase applies.
"In this case, lack of awareness is a barrier, and I think both policymakers and entities that are trying to sell community solar plans could be working toward raising awareness," she said.
This study focused on willingness to adopt rather than actually installing panels or subscribing to community solar power. In separate projects, Sintov and Dillman-Hasso are studying different groups of solar power customers to look for factors that lead to signing up for and sticking with solar.
This work was supported by Interstate Gas Supply - Energy, an independent supplier of energy, including solar.
