Development and test of a dual-pathway model of personal and community factors driving new energy technology adoption - The case of V2G in three European countries

Abstract

Understanding the drivers that underpin the adoption of new energy technologies is key to fostering a successful energy transition. Increasingly, studies focus on non-economic factors but are often limited to personal motivations such as ecological values. While there is increasing recognition that community factors can be key for behavioral change, the role of these factors with regard to energy technology acceptance is so far not well understood. To address this gap, we propose a new theoretical model to explain adoption interest of innovative energy technologies, such as vehicle-to-grid technology. Our model comprises two levels and suggests that both a personal-motivation route and a community-motivation route can uniquely explain adoption interest. We further propose an interplay between personal and community factors. We test this model through an empirical study based on representative samples from three European countries (Germany, France, Switzerland, total N = 979). Our results support the notion that different motivational routes can drive adoption interest. In particular, we find that initiative membership predicted adoption interest directly and indirectly via personal norm. Finally, we test our model for differences between countries, finding evidence that community factors might differentially affect adoption interest across national contexts.