Alexander Stauch
Title
Dr.
Last Name
Stauch
First name
Alexander
Email
alexander.stauch@unisg.ch
Phone
+41 71 224 3346
8 results
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Item type:Publication, Keep it local and low-key: Social acceptance of alpine solar power projects(2021); ; 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 articleJournal:Renewable and Sustainable Energy ReviewsScopus© Citations 75 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Cash vs. solar power: An experimental investigation of the
remuneration-related design of community solar offeringsThis 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 articleJournal:Energy PolicyVolume:138Scopus© Citations 15 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
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Item type:Publication, Talking Cash or Talking Environment?
Target-group specific communication of community solar offerings(2018-10-07)This research investigates the role of emphasizing financial benefits in communication strategies for community solar offers. While the current literature suggests, based on motivational crowding-out theory, that emphasizing the extrinsic benefits of a behavior undertaken due to intrinsic motivation impacts such behavior negatively, this article finds evidence for the opposite effect. To examine the effect of emphasizing extrinsic benefits on customers’ willingness to subscribe to community solar, an experimental study that included a pre-test was designed. The pre-test (N=59) was conducted in a laboratory setting using eye-tracking and survey measurements. The main study was conducted online with Swiss electricity customers (N=195). In both samples, no statistical evidence for a motivational crowding-out effect was identified when financial benefits were emphasized. In contrast, in both samples specific customer segments were identified that responded positively when financial benefits were emphasized (i.e. their willingness to subscribe to community solar increased significantly). As a result, this article suggests different options for customer-segment-based communication strategies to maximize overall willingness to subscribe to community solar in the long term.Type:conference speech - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Financial participation as an opportunity to increase the overall acceptance of wind energy projects?(2018-09-06); ; This research paper describes the effect of different financial participation models for wind energy projects on the social acceptance for the 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 important key stakeholders such as riskaverse people or people with a politically centre progressive mindset, the local resource tax leads to a significant increase in acceptance. As findings on specific financial participation models for wind energy projects are rare, our research creates an important foundation for policy makers and project developers to facilitate social acceptance of wind energy projects on a local community level.Type:conference speech - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Community solar marketingIn order to remain within the two-degree target agreed on by almost all countries in the world at the Climate Conference in Paris in 2015, new business models that promote the spread of renewable energies such as wind, hydro, and solar power are extremely relevant. One of these new business models is community solar. Community solar allows all electricity customers, regardless of whether they own a house with a suitable roof, to participate in a local solar installation and in return receive compensation in the form of solar power or a financial equivalent. In order to formulate practically relevant marketing recommendations that promote the spread of community solar, this dissertation examined various marketing aspects in more detail through the creation of three research papers. The basis for the related research was scientific theories, literature analyses, and observations about best-practice examples. Based on experimental online surveys, representative samples were then collected for all three research papers to identify how electricity customers react to variations in different experimental factors within community solar offerings. The results of the three studies contribute to the newly emerging scientific literature stream on community solar, and have many relevant implications for practice and policy makers. One general finding is the very significant market potential of more than 60% of all electricity customers in Switzerland for community solar. Furthermore, it was shown that community solar can be implemented using different photovoltaic technologies without influencing customer adoption. It was also found that customer segmentation based on customer motivation and communication designed specifically for such segments may be particularly worthwhile, as advertising messages based on extrinsic factors can have the opposite effect on these customer segments. Paper 3 examined product bundling opportunities in terms of combining community solar with electric vehicles. It was found that such bundling creates added value for customers, significantly increasing willingness to buy a bundle compared to willingness to buy an electric vehicle without community solar. This indicates that electric vehicle dealers are best positioned to be indirect and additional distribution channels, as well as general partners of community solar providers. The findings of this dissertation help create a 4 P marketing mix that provides practical guidance for successful community solar marketing.Type:doctoral thesis