Blocking the sun? Social movements, industries, and the adoption of solar energy in the United States

Abstract

Despite scholars' growing interest in sustainability transitions, they have paid little attention to how organizational opponents and allies of the climate movement shape the diffusion of low-carbon technologies. Drawing on literature on social movements, social psychology, and environmental sociology, this study develops new arguments about how environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) and the fossil fuel industry influence the adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Using an original data set, we assess these arguments by conducting quantitative analyses that test the direct and mediated effects of the ENGOs and fossil fuel industry on the installation of solar PV technology by residents and commercial enterprises in over fifteen thousand U.S. cities during a nine-year period. Findings suggest that local ENGOs promote both types of adoption, but their effect also depends on solar irradiance. Conversely, local fossil fuel companies directly inhibit residential and commercial adoption of PV technologies. We discuss the implications of our results for future research on the diffusion of low-carbon technologies and on energy transitions.