Do village leaders’ engagement, social interaction and financial incentive affect residents’ solar PV adoption? An empirical study in rural China?

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PurposeThis study aims to analyze those factors affecting the rural resident’s willingness to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) which is important for accelerating the popularization of clean energy in China.Design/methodology/approachThis study contained a sample of 653 households in 8 provinces/regions by stratified, and random sampling in rural China. Descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis techniques have been used for analytical purposes.FindingsThe empirical results indicate that financial incentive and social interaction have positive effects on rural residents’ adoption willingness, while village leaders’ engagement can indirectly influence their adoption willingness through social interaction and residents’ cognition.Research limitations/implicationsThis study mainly considers external and internal factors but ignores the effect of technical factors. In addition, the samples are just selected from the residents who have adopted solar PV.Practical implicationsThis study is expected to be useful for the government, regulators, village leaders, village leaders and other institutions.Originality/valueThis study conducts a systematic analysis and clarifies the relationship between factors (external and internal) and rural residents’ adoption willingness. The village leaders’ engagement is first added to the conceptual model as an external factor, which is very essential in rural residents’ adoption in China.