Do village leaders’ engagement, social interaction and financial incentive affect residents’ solar PV adoption? An empirical study in rural China?

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze those factors affecting the rural resident’s willingness to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) which is important for accelerating the popularization of clean energy in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study contained a sample of 653 households in 8 provinces/regions by stratified, and random sampling in rural China. Descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis techniques have been used for analytical purposes.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that financial incentive and social interaction have positive effects on rural residents’ adoption willingness, while village leaders’ engagement can indirectly influence their adoption willingness through social interaction and residents’ cognition.

Research limitations/implications

This study mainly considers external and internal factors but ignores the effect of technical factors. In addition, the samples are just selected from the residents who have adopted solar PV.

Practical implications

This study is expected to be useful for the government, regulators, village leaders, village leaders and other institutions.

Originality/value

This study conducts a systematic analysis and clarifies the relationship between factors (external and internal) and rural residents’ adoption willingness. The village leaders’ engagement is first added to the conceptual model as an external factor, which is very essential in rural residents’ adoption in China.

Citation

Shi, Y., Ding, L., He, C., Zhang, F., Zhang, Z. and Dai, Q. (2022), "Do village leaders’ engagement, social interaction and financial incentive affect residents’ solar PV adoption? An empirical study in rural China?", International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 834-855. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-02-2021-0027