Income-targeted marketing as a supply-side barrier to low-income solar adoption

O’Shaughnessy, Eric; Barbose, Galen; Wiser, Ryan; Forrester, Sydney

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103137

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…First, residential solar PV adoption inequity has been widely documented: low‐income and minority communities are less likely to adopt solar PV than their wealthier and/or white peers. The adoption disparities can be attributed to a range of factors, such as the relatively high costs of solar PV systems (Barbose et al, 2018; Kwan, 2012; Sunter et al, 2019), information gaps (Rai et al, 2016), and income‐targeted marketing by PV installers (O'Shaughnessy et al, 2021).…”

Section: Energy Justice and Equitable Solar Pv Deploymentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All existing financial and administrative incentives are demand-side policies, with no policy effort addressing the supply side. Given the recent empirical evidence (e.g., income-targeted marketing strategies by PV installers, and fewer quotes received by low-income consumers) (O'Shaughnessy et al, 2021), policymakers may need to explore innovative policy measures to reduce solar PV adoption disparities caused by supply-side barriers.…”

Section: Comparing Meso-level Policy Instrument Choicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The adoption of solar financial incentives targeting disadvantaged communities helps ensure public resources allocation promoting clean energy transition does not bypass some of the most vulnerable populations in the country. However, a few other barriers to solar adoption have not been addressed by existing solar equity policies, such as consumer inertia (Kunreuther et al, 2021), supply-side inequalities (O'Shaughnessy et al, 2021), concerns about PV reliability (Shih & Chou, 2011), and information gaps (Rai & Beck, 2015). Policies encourage more equal and just marketing strategies by solar installers, and information campaigns and education problems targeting solar adoption in disadvantaged communities may be considered by policy actors in the future.…”

Section: M Pl Ic At Ions a N D Conc Lusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Operationalizing social equity in public policy design: A comparative analysis of solar equity policies in the United States

Zhou

Gao

Wellstead

et al. 2023

Policy Studies Journal

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While it is widely recognized that energy injustices are prevalent in the clean energy transition process, there has been limited research attention on policy efforts aiming to mitigate these inequities. In this paper, we use solar equity policies as an empirical case study to understand how social equity considerations are conceptualized and operationalized in energy policy content. We build upon the policy design literature and code institutional statements of 54 solar equity policies adopted between 2001 and 2021 in the United States. In our comparative analysis, we focus on three levels of policy design elements that can be directly observed in written policy language: macro‐policy goal construction, meso‐policy instrument choices, and micro‐level policy settings and calibrations. We find that the policy goal of energy justice is multifaceted, with a great emphasis on solar energy accessibility and provision of economic benefits and security for disadvantaged communities. There is a dominant preference by policymakers to use redistributive policies and community solar programs to advance energy justice‐related goals. Solar equity policy instruments on‐the‐ground measures have also been calibrated to target specific disadvantaged populations in the energy system, which focus mostly on income‐based vulnerability.

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