New Study: Solar Panels Are "Contagious"

A new study out of Stanford University found that individuals are more likely to install solar panels if their neighbors have them.

1 minute read

April 13, 2011, 12:00 PM PDT

By Victor Negrete

From Good Magazine:

"More specifically, it finds that for every 1 percent increase in the number of installations in a particular zip code, the time until the next adoption of solar decreases by 1 percent. Or, as Vote Solar's Adam Browning put it: Solar is contagious!"

According to Ben Jervey, the causes for this "snowball effect" include:

- "Social caché." "Call it Keeping up with the Joneses. Homeowners see others putting up solar panels, and they want to project the same green image."

- Information transfer. "It gets easier to find out about solar panels if there are people in your zip code who have them. Neighbors talk to neighbors, explaining the benefits of rooftop solar, and demystifying the installation process."

- "Companies are taking a hyper-local approach to marketing and sales." "It benefits the company to have a lot of projects in one area, so they'll target a city or town, blast through, and move on."

FULL STORY: New Study Finds Solar Panels Are "Contagious"

Monday, April 11, 2011 in GOOD Magazine

Energy Environment Technology World United States Solar Panels; Research; Energy; Technology View More

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