Fostering photovoltaic technologies in Mediterranean cities: Consumers’ demand and social acceptance

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of six Mediterranean countries as regards public acceptance of Photovoltaic (PV) and Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) technologies. The analysis considers both the private dimension (i.e. willingness to install a specific PV system) and the public dimension (i.e. acceptability of BIPV applications in the urban context where the individual resides). As regards the latter, we propose simulations of BIPV applications in residential buildings representative of each city, and elicit preferences for different technological and aesthetic solutions, conditional on different levels of information on the cost effectiveness of each option. The results show that awareness of the benefits arising from the PV installation and attachment toward the city are important drivers in both the public and private dimensions. A comparative analysis across countries suggests that Italian, Tunisian and Jordanian respondents seem the most interested in BIPV technologies, either when considering a possible investment for their household, and when evaluating applications in the buildings presented in the experimental scenarios.