Alexander Stauch
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Dr.
Last Name
Stauch
First name
Alexander
Email
alexander.stauch@unisg.ch
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+41 71 224 3346

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  • Publication
    Individual or collective? Community investment, local taxes, and the social acceptance of wind energy in Switzerland
    (Elsevier, )
    Vuichard, Pascal
    ;
    Stauch, Alexander
    ;
    Dällenbach, Nathalie
    This research paper describes the effect of different financial participation models for wind energy projects on the social acceptance of a hypothetical project. Based on the configuration of three different financial participation models tested in a pre-study with several industry experts, we conducted an experimental survey with a representative sample of Swiss electricity customers (n=1202). Our results indicate that a local resource tax that benefits the entire community is favored over individual financial participation models (namely, the opportunity for local citizens to participate through shares or bonds). For key stakeholders such as community attached people or those with a politically centrist, progressive mindset, the local resource tax leads to a significant increase in acceptance. As findings about specific financial participation models for wind energy projects are rare, our research creates a foundation on which social acceptance of wind energy projects at the local community level can be fostered.
    Type: journal article
    Journal: Energy Research & Social Science
    URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629619301045
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/116621
  • Publication
    Keep it local and low-key: Social acceptance of alpine solar power projects
    ( 2021)
    Vuichard, Pascal
    ;
    Stauch, Alexander
    ;
    Wüstenhagen, Rolf
    Impressive growth rates of solar photovoltaics (PV) in higher latitudes are raising concerns about seasonal mismatches between demand and supply. Locating utility-scale PV projects in alpine regions with high solar irradiation could help to meet demand during the winter season. However, similar to wind farms, large solar projects change the landscape and may therefore face social acceptance issues. In contrast to the rich literature on wind energy, social acceptance of solar power has received less attention. This paper helps close this gap with the help of a large-scale survey (N = 1036) that examines the acceptance of alpine solar projects in Switzerland through choice experiments. In addition to attributes that are well established in the social acceptance literature, such as local ownership, along with both distributional and procedural justice, we also investigate the influence of innovative design elements on acceptance. Our findings suggest that local ownership, as well as colored solar panels that reduce the perceived landscape change may increase social acceptance, implying that projects should be kept local and low-key. We also find that acceptance of alpine solar projects is higher among the affected population than among inhabitants of non-alpine regions.
    Type: journal article
    Journal: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
    URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032120308017
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2020.110516
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/111415
    Scopus© Citations 34
  • Publication
    Cash vs. solar power: An experimental investigation of the remuneration-related design of community solar offerings
    (Elsevier, 2020-01)
    Stauch, Alexander
    ;
    Gamma, Karoline
    This paper investigates the effect of two different community solar remuneration models on the overall willingness to buy of Swiss electricity customers (n=496). Based on practical observation, the two main remuneration models that dominate today’s implementation landscape for community solar were identified. The first of the former delivers solar power directly from community solar plants, while the second delivers financial compensation instead of solar power. A between-subject-design experiment applying pro-environmental behavior as approximation for intrinsic motivation demonstrated that remuneration schemes which avoid mentioning financial benefits and instead compensate customers with the solar power are particularly attractive to green electricity customers who have higher intrinsic motivation to consume pro-environmental electricity. Offering financial benefits may even discourage these customers from participating in community solar. On the other hand, offering financial benefits appeals to default electricity customers whose intrinsic motivation for pro-environmental behavior is too weak to trigger a reaction to the ecological and local benefits of community solar alone. When designing policies around community solar or implementing community solar projects, policy makers and practitioners should thus carefully analyze the customer base and its composition in order to match remuneration schemes to customer preferences.
    Type: journal article
    Journal: Energy Policy
    Volume: 138
    URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421519307980
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111216
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/112512
  • Publication
    Community solar as an innovative business model for building-integrated photovoltaics: An experimental analysis with Swiss electricity consumers
    (Elsevier Science, 2019-10-12)
    Stauch, Alexander
    ;
    Vuichard, Pascal
    A currently pertinent research challenge is to find ways to keep the growth rate of solar power at a high level. The adoption of new technologies, such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), but also new and innovative business models such as community solar, have both been identified as relevant drivers. However, the adoption of BIPV is still encountering numerous barriers that hinder its more widespread deployment within the solar PV market. The goal of this research effort was to assess whether community solar as a successful business model for the adoption of conventional solar PV could be equally promising in relation to the further adoption of BIPV. For this purpose, we conducted an experimental survey (n = 413) to compare customers’ willingness to buy a community solar offer exclusively associated with BIPV to a community solar offer solely designed with conventional rooftop solar PV. Our results revealed no significant difference between willingness to buy based on our experimental treatment (BIPV vs. conventional PV), indicating that community solar can be a successful distribution channel for the further adoption of BIPV. As findings about specific business models for BIPV are rare, our research creates an important foundation upon which policy makers and project developers can build.
    Type: journal article
    Journal: Energy and Buildings
    URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778819311995
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109526
    URI: https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/98126