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.

Does Shandong have a rooftop PV power generation project?

However, in recent years, Shandong has actively utilized rooftop resources on sites such as factories and rural residential buildings to promote distributed PV power generation, injecting new momentum into green development. In New Zhangyanzhai Village of Liaocheng, an 11 megawatt rooftop PV power generation project is in operation.

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 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.

Do community-level support and household resources affect photovoltaic adoption?

We find that structural opportunities provided by communities and households’ own resource endowments have an additive effect on adoption. This highlights the need to consider both community-level support and household resources when evaluating photovoltaic adoption and energy justice.

Can solar power increase the income of Shandong village?

Photovoltaic power generation can increase the income of our village by more than 300,000 yuan annually, and the profit period can last up to 20 years," said Zhang Wei, Party chief of the village. The growth of distributed PV power generation in Shandong mirrors China's strenuous efforts to develop new energy.