Factors Affecting Public Willingness to Adopt Renewable Energy Technologies: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract

Renewable energy has become an important element of today’s modern technology targeting high-efficiency energy production. As part of its 2030 Vision, Saudi Arabia is aiming to increase its energy production through renewable sources. The purpose of this research study is to explore the factors affecting public willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies in the western region of Saudi Arabia. This was achieved through an extensive literature review of previous studies conducted worldwide and resulted in the extraction of 19 factors that affect public willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies. Following a quantitative research design, random cross-sectional data of 416 participants using the extracted factors were collected via an online questionnaire survey. Following a dimension reduction statistical approach, key components were extracted with exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis. Five main components clustering the 19 extracted factors were revealed: cost and government regulations and policies, public awareness and local market, environment and public infrastructure, residential building, and renewable energy technology systems. The implications of this research study assist in guiding governments, regulations and policy makers, marketing agencies, and investors to better understand the concerns and enablers of renewable energy technologies adoption from the public perspective.

Public Participation of Renewable Energy (PPRED) Model in Malaysia: An Instrument Development

“…For example, people who have more awareness regarding the consequences of energy generation using non-RE, are found to be more willing to pay for RE as compared to those who possess lesser knowledge and understanding (Sebri & Ben-Salha 2014). Similarly, public awareness is also found in the literature to be significantly influencing public willingness to use renewable energy (Makki & Mosly 2020). In addition to this, literature also indicates education, government support, and energy subsidies as vital factors affecting public willingness to pay for renewable energy development (Ntanos et al 2018).…”

Factors Influencing Consumer’s Adoption of Renewable Energy

“…The study by [36] indicates a link between perceived behavioral control and the consumers' intentions to adopt renewable energy. Makki & Mosly [37] suggest that the user-friendly nature of renewable energy products positively influences the consumers' intentions to purchase and adopt renewable energy. Products such as solar panels are easy to install and likely to positively influence the consumers' perceived behavioral control towards the adoption of green energy.…”

“…According to [37], the consumer perceptions of self-effectiveness influence the adoption of renewable energy based on either the ease or struggle of adopting the technologies. Ease of technological adoption is associated with access to the resources for the adoption of renewable energy technology, including ease of installation and utilization.…”

Territorial Energy Vulnerability Assessment to Enhance Just Energy Transition of Cities

“…The common infrastructure corresponds to the artifacts and material components of shared use necessary for the generation, distribution, and energy use. Given that some aspects of the sociotechnical energy system require high-cost investments (Makki and Mosly, 2020), it is common to encounter policies designed to incentivize the adoption or construction of a particular technology (Geels, 2004;Acosta et al, 2018). This energy sociotechnical system has constant interactions with its environment, especially with some elements of the sociocultural and ecological systems that are crucial for its operation.…”