Walters, J P; Kaminsky, J and Huepe, C (2018) Factors influencing household solar adoption in Santiago, Chile. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 144(6): 05018004, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
In Santiago, Chile, the market conditions are seemingly excellent for the household adoption of photovoltaic (PV) technology, yet the uptake is negligible. To explore this paradox, the authors conducted a Delphi study to solicit the knowledge of a panel of Chilean PV experts. These efforts yielded 26 factors - both motivations and barriers - impacting the diffusion of PV in Santiago. Of the 26, experts were in consensus on the relative importance of 21. The literature suggests that diffusion of PV technologies is influenced by complex technical, economic, and social factors. Similarly, the experts saw influence from financial, environmental, and energy supply (e.g., electrical reliability) factors. They saw emergent barriers to adoption as being financial, technical, institutional, and knowledge factors. They considered the most important factors influencing adoption to be financial motivations (e.g., subsidies) and financial barriers (e.g., high upfront costs); they considered the least important factors to be environmental motivations (e.g., environmental stewardship) and technical barriers (e.g., concerns with roof mounting). With this knowledge, the authors develop an adoption framework for household PV that describes the interaction among the identified motivations and barriers. This framework informs policy recommendations for Santiago, Chile, and contributes to the body of literature exploring the interconnected systems of factors that influence civil infrastructure in general and PV adoption in particular.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | adoption; barriers; Chile; diffusion; household solar; photovoltaic |
| Index terms: | Chile, Delphi method, roof, relative importance, Santiago, photovoltaic, interaction, social factor, motivation, subsidy, household, paradox, market condition |
| Subjects: | demography, design practice, economic analysis, risk assessment, social theory and frameworks, Geography, data collection methods, sociology, psychology, economic and policy analysis, behavioral psychology, energy systems |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Risk Management, Design Practice, Human Resources, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Urban Studies, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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