Does community management influence household adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics in rural China?

This paper examines inequality in household adoption of rooftop solar photovoltaics in rural China through a qualitative study of three villages. The Chinese government promotes distributed solar to drive low-carbon development. However, community management and China’s institutional system influence unequal access.

Which villages in China have a PV project?

Given the extensive piloting in these provinces, we chose three villages for fieldwork. Village S in Weifang City, Shandong, known as the “first PV village”, has enterprise-funded PV. Village Z in Nanjing City, Jiangsu has government-funded PV. Village Q in Nanjing has resident-funded PV.

How can China promote distributed PV?

To promote distributed PV, China’s National Energy Administration launched a “county-level promotion” strategy in 2021. This strategy sets a target for at least 20% of rural households in 676 pilot counties and districts to adopt rooftop solar panels. The concept of “energy justice” originates from John Rawls’ theory of justice.

How many households in Jiangsu have a rooftop PV system?

For example, Village Z in Jiangsu Province has 32 households. In 2017, the local power company planned free rooftop PV installation for 25 households, but only 23 were ultimately installed. Of the 9 non-adopters, 2 lacked suitable roofs, while others declined over roof damage or absentee concerns.

Can a village adopt a solar power system?

Usually, only about 30% of households can adopt PV. To increase that percentage, the village would need to expand transformer capacity. The costs of that expansion get divided up and paid by later adopters. This raises their construction costs and creates an obstacle to adoption. It is another form of injustice.

How can village committees improve photovoltaic adoption?

Families with larger roof areas can install multiple photovoltaic sets and garner more rent. In this mode, village committee involvement can effectively mitigate constraints on photovoltaic adoption such as lack of energy services provided by enterprises and imperfect information mechanisms (Kiprop et al. 2019; Kowalska-Pyzalska 2017).