Predictors of the intention to adopt residential photovoltaics in Cambodia–A psychological perspective

Abstract

Cambodia has a high potential for the use of residential photovoltaics (RPV), a promising approach to mitigate climate change, but the country is lagging behind in realising this potential. This paper attempts to empirically investigate what motivates and hinders Cambodians' intentions to adopt RPV from a psychological perspective. To answer this research question, an integrative theoretical framework based on the value−belief−norm (VBN) theory and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used. Data was collected by means of a survey, distributed among individuals belonging to the urban middle and upper classes of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. The data of N = 272 participants was then analysed using structural equation modelling and Gaussian graphical modelling. The results revealed that participants' intention to adopt RPV is associated both with the motivation to protect the environment and with the motivation to make a reasoned decision within the role of consumer. The study's results are discussed with particular regard to practical implications that can be derived from them, e.g., the design of potential communicative strategies that can be used to foster the intention to adopt RPV in the future.