The happy and proud serial adopter: Emotional influences on solar PV adoption in Germany

Abstract

To reach global decarbonisation targets, renewable energy technologies such as solar PV need to substitute fossil fuel-powered technologies. Previous research has analysed mainly cognitive factors in the context of motivations for or barriers of PV adoption. Emotions, despite being part of human decision making in addition to cognitions, have rarely been considered. In analysing what affects residential PV adoption decisions, this study adds emotional to cognitive factors such as cost perceptions. Thereby, it addresses a research gap on emotions in sustainability transitions. Furthermore, building on a nascent stream of recent literature, this research considers spillover effects from having adopted other clean energy solutions, heat pumps and electric vehicles, on PV adoption. The study uses ordinary least squares regression analysis based on survey data collected in Germany (n = 1003) to investigate the roles of three variable groups: emotions, cost perceptions, and spillover effects. The results show that the emotions pride (β ≈ 0.2) and happiness (β ≈ 0.2) and the adoption of a heat pump (β ≈ 0.2) and an electric vehicle (β ≈ 0.3) are positively and statistically significantly related to PV adoption. Operating cost perceptions (β ≈ −0.1) are negatively connected to PV adoption. With these insights, the study highlights the importance of including emotional and spillover factors in the analysis of factors influencing PV adoption. These factors have thus far been mostly sidelined in innovation adoption models. Furthermore, the results doubting the effectiveness of acquisition cost-centred policy incentives hold important implications for policymakers.