Barriers to the adoption of photovoltaic systems: The state of the art

Abstract

a b s t r a c tAlthough photovoltaic (PV) systems have become much more competitive, the diffusion of PV systems still remains low in comparison to conventional energy sources. What are the current barriers hindering the diffusion of PV systems? In order to address this, we conducted an extensive and systematic literature review based on the Web of Science database. Our state-of-the-art review shows that, despite the rapid development and maturity of the technology during the past few years, the adoption of PV systems still faces several barriers. The wide adoption of PV systems-either as a substitute for other electricity power generation systems in urban areas or for rural electrification-is a challenging process. Our results show that the barriers are evident for both low-and high-income economies, encompassing four dimensions: sociotechnical, management, economic, and policy. Although the barriers vary across context, the lessons learned from one study can be valuable to others. The involvement of all stakeholders-adopters, local communities, firms, international organizations, financial institutions, and government-is crucial to foster the adoption.

Conceptualizing the Sharing Economy through Presenting a Comprehensive Framework

“…One of the best approaches for theory building is conducting a state of the art review or a systematic literature review [20,[93][94][95]. Therefore, in this paper, written definitions from various scientific publications are gathered and analyzed to gain a good understanding of the SE concept for providing a definition and framework for it.…”

A Review on Building Integrated Photovoltaic Façade Customization Potentials

“…There are also key barriers that are general to BIPV adoption, and in some cases, affect the building integration of other renewable energy technologies. Some of these general issues from a more holistic point of view are sociotechnical, management, economic, and policy-related [29] as well as knowledge and information-related [26]. Others include insufficient presentation of BIPV product and project databases, lack of adequate business models, and insufficient dissemination of BIPV information [24].…”

“…Table 3 gives a detailed overview of the findings of these related studies showing a categorization of the barriers and drivers identified to BIPV application; to clearly identify the issues of concern and potential solutions. • Dedicated government support and incentives [27,[29][30][31][32][33][34] • BIPV implementation policy formation; [28,29,31] • Non-financial incentives as 'green accreditation' and reduction in lending rates [27,28] 5. Gap between PV and building industry [29,30,32] 4. International professional management and collaborations 6.…”

“…• Dedicated government support and incentives [27,[29][30][31][32][33][34] • BIPV implementation policy formation; [28,29,31] • Non-financial incentives as 'green accreditation' and reduction in lending rates [27,28] 5. Gap between PV and building industry [29,30,32] 4. International professional management and collaborations 6. Management & business and project planning [24,28,29,32] • Increased collaboration between government, research bodies, manufacturers, building professionals and clients [26,[28][29][30][31][32]34] • Development of specific management and business models [24,26,30] • Development of international guidelines, standards and codes for BIPV implementation [24,26,30,31] The collective information from these 11 studies represents the opinions of close to 1000 international respondents.…”

“…However, several studies highlight various barriers which are limitations to the widespread adoption of BIPV [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. They range from general product issues such as performance, aesthetics and technical complexity [26] to specific regional issues such as the need for extensive education on professional and public levels [24,25,27].…”