Going solar? The role of knowledge in shaping social acceptance of citizen-financed PV projects in Switzerland

2025/09/06 by Sophie Ruprecht, Isabelle Stadelmann‐Steffen, Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen
Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Energy and Environment Impacts #Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy #Sustainability and Climate Change Governance

paper · doi:10.1016/j.jup.2025.102040

openalex publication_date 2025/09/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

CiFi PV projects facilitate broader public participation in solar energy, particularly among those unable to install their own rooftop systems. Despite their potential, these projects are under-researched. This study explores whether CiFi PV can engage diverse populations or if it mainly attracts the same individuals as personal rooftop PV. It examines the role of tacit and explicit knowledge, as measured by education and solar experience, in the acceptance of CiFi PV, as well as in the evaluation of project characteristics that motivate people to choose CiFi PV. Using a Swiss conjoint experiment, findings suggest that the inclusive potential of CiFi PV may be limited, with similar preferences observed across knowledge groups.

Citations

• Becoming prosumer: Revealing trading preferences and decision-making strategies in peer-to-peer energy communities
• Designing local renewable energy communities to increase social acceptance: Evidence from a choice experiment in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland
• In it for the money, the environment, or the community? Motives for being involved in community energy initiatives
• Public acceptance of renewable energies and energy autonomy: A comparative study in the French, German and Swiss Upper Rhine region
• How a Nuclear Power Plant Accident Influences Acceptance of Nuclear Power: Results of a Longitudinal Study Before and After the Fukushima Disaster
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