ANALYSIS OF PURCHASE BEHAVIOR OFRESIDENTIAL SOLAR ROOF TOP PV ADOPTERS

Residential Solar Roof Top PV (RSRTPV) is a nascent technology and though India is a sun kissed land, yet the PV technology has not gained momentum by way of installations of roof tops in the residential sector. The objective of this study is to get an insight into the purchase behavior of the residential solar roof top adopters in the city of Chennai, South India. The study is based on primary data which was collected using a questionnaire. This RSRTPV adopter centric research of 105 respondents was conducted in the city of Chennai in South India. A structured, undisguised, questionnaire with 46 preselected questions was adopted after pilot testing. The length of the survey questionnaire was kept optimum with close-ended questions based on Likert scale to elicit quick responses, by the sampled adopters. The demographic variables of the respondents indicate the green profile of a PV adopter. The study reveals their domestic consumption details like the nature of RSRTPV system, its size, type of installation, roof top area, type of dwelling and the financial option of the consumers etc. reflecting the characteristic status of RSRTPV installations. The study concludes that consumers' experience, purchase behavior, knowledge of technology, its beneficial effects, accessible information on installations and customized financing options are vital inputs for aggressive market development of RSRTPV. The study also concludes that residential solar roof top segment remains the least developed, with its small transaction size, lower tariff and less third-party ownership. The study identifies the need for consumer awareness to translate into interest in and adoption of RSRTPV. Chennai has 8.69 million population, while it has only 350 MW of roof top solar, which implies that the offtake is poor owing to loans and subsidies, not being nattractive to induce adoption. Research points the need for bringing about local laws mandating solar with net/gross metering regulations/relevant tariff rules for uptake of solar installations.