How Much are Portuguese Residential Consumers Willing to Invest in Photovoltaic Systems?

Abstract

This paper presents the main results of a survey conducted aiming at analysing and evaluating the citizen’s perceptions and willingness to invest in the installation of residential photovoltaic systems. Data has been collected in Coimbra, an urban municipality of Portugal, through a questionnaire involving three groups of questions related to socio-economic characterization of the household and building characteristics, ownership of any type of renewable energy system and willingness to invest in residential photovoltaic systems. Regarding the investment cost of the different photovoltaic systems considered, and according to the type of housing, an individual technical and economic evaluation was performed. Most of the 88 respondents have a positive attitude towards the integration of renewable energy systems in the residential sector and some of them have good knowledge of these systems. However, only a few of the respondents own a solar system and about two-thirds of respondents expressed no interest in investing in PV systems. The study served as a starting point for the assessment of the integration of renewable energies in an urban context and the obtained results will serve as the basis for the definition of scenarios related to the penetration of solar photovoltaic systems in the residential sector. This type of results can also be considered by Policy-makers in defining future measures to support the installation of residential renewable energy systems.