Meta-analysis of the role of equity dimensions in household solar panel adoption

Abstract

If some households are less likely to be able to participate in solar panel adoption due to socio-economic or demographic characteristics, then inequity can exist. We use meta-regressions to analyse links between research characteristics and dimensions of equity including gender, economic distributions, renting, education, and ethnicity. We find that studies assessing actual solar panel uptake rather than intentions are less likely to analyse gender influences. Cross-sectional studies are more likely to include analyses of economic distributions and renting impacts but are less likely to assess policy variables. We also investigate links between research characteristics and prior findings. Significant influences of equity on solar panel uptake are 17 percentage points (p.p.) and 10 p.p. less likely to be found with regard to education and ethnicity, respectively, in household-level studies compared to aggregated studies. Our paper encourages more frequent analysis of equity aspects, coverage of a broader range of equity aspects, and analysis that incorporates both equity and policy variables. For research questions on household equity, we suggest using data on actual solar-panel uptake at the household level.