Governments often use price-based policies such as tax-subsidies and rebates to encourage households to shift to renewable energy sources like rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV). These policies, however, have primarily benefited high-income homeowners, leaving others behind. This paper proposes leveraging social networks’ influence on attitudes and perceptions to design more equitable solar PV adoption programs. Using data from Albany county (New York State, USA) we develop an Agent-based model, integrating a novel implementation of circles of influence into the theory of planned behavior. We test two policy categories (generic and targeted) under two network scenarios (integrated and segregated). Resulting solar PV adoption rates are evaluated using egalitarian, utilitarian and cost metrics to analyze policy impact on different income groups. Our findings indicate that network structure significantly influences adoption rates within income groups. Low-income groups in segregated networks can experience higher adoption driven by positive attitudes towards solar PV, while high-income groups in segregated networks may face poor policy performance despite higher affordability. Seeding policies and information dissemination through influential network members may not necessarily improve adoption rates, as trust can a more important role. The study underscores the importance of trusted information sources in influencing adoption decisions. The insights gained from this research can guide policy design for tailored interventions to improve access to renewable energy for all income groups.

中文翻译：

---

太阳能光伏采用的网络动态：重新考虑纽约州奥尔巴尼县包容性可再生能源获取的统一税收抵免和影响者播种

政府经常使用税收补贴和退税等基于价格的政策来鼓励家庭转向屋顶太阳能光伏发电 (PV) 等可再生能源。然而，这些政策主要使高收入房主受益，而将其他人抛在了后面。本文建议利用社交网络对态度和看法的影响来设计更公平的太阳能光伏采用计划。使用来自奥尔巴尼县（美国纽约州）的数据，我们开发了一个基于代理的模型，将影响圈的新颖实现融入到计划行为理论中。我们在两种网络场景（集成和隔离）下测试两种策略类别（通用和针对性）。使用平等主义、功利主义和成本指标来评估最终的太阳能光伏采用率，以分析政策对不同收入群体的影响。我们的研究结果表明，网络结构显着影响收入群体内的采用率。由于对太阳能光伏的积极态度，隔离网络中的低收入群体可能会获得更高的采用率，而隔离网络中的高收入群体尽管负担能力较高，但可能会面临较差的政策绩效。通过有影响力的网络成员传播政策和信息传播可能不一定会提高采用率，因为信任可以发挥更重要的作用。该研究强调了可信信息源在影响采用决策方面的重要性。从这项研究中获得的见解可以指导政策设计，制定量身定制的干预措施，以改善所有收入群体获得可再生能源的机会。