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Abstract As the United States phases out traditional fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy sources, it is important to capitalize on all available avenues to increase renewable penetration. In the last decade, the costs associated with residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installations have decreased significantly, providing more homeowners with the opportunity to generate their own clean electricity. Research has found that the decision to invest in a residential solar PV system is guided by economic, social, and personal factors. Accounting for such complexities, the joint power of agent-based modeling and social network analysis is leveraged in this study to evaluate the effect of social influence on solar PV adoption. Featuring residential consumer agents with data-driven attributes, a logistic regression function to predict solar adoption, and random and small-world social network implementations, this work simulates residential solar PV adoption in New Jersey. Results indicate that including social influence in an agent-based electricity system model leads to increased installed residential solar capacity, but not necessarily higher adoption rates. These findings suggest that, with an understanding of the intricacies of consumer social networks, there are potential opportunities to bolster residential solar installations through low-cost social campaigns that motivate individuals to adopt home solar through their social ties.
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This content will become publicly available on May 1, 2026
Out of sight, out of mind? How electricity (un)reliability shapes residential energy transitions
Social norms on household energy consumption practices have been historically fostered through ideas of comfort, cleanliness and modernity, underpinned by reliable and affordable energy services. Contemporary discourses on energy transitions require households to conform to new expectations of “sustainable” living, calling for energy users to participate in the electrification of energy end-uses, provided sufficient economic incentives. Yet, a combination of emotional and social responses to the increased frequency of power outages complicate this account. Despite expectations of consumer cooperation in the clean energy transition, limited research explores how differing capabilities and lived experiences with energy infrastructure modify perspectives on these changes. Through semi-structured interviews with sixty Northern California residents, we explore how residents cope with energy unreliability and whether—or how—they envision transitioning to higher levels of electrification of their homes. By centering users' lived experiences, this work goes beyond formulations of “customer choices” to focus on how everyday energy practices are reimagined in the context of residential electrification policies, climate imperatives, and power outages —or the fear thereof. We argue that the emotional, social, and relational dimensions of grid reliability should complement the predominantly techno-economic lens through which electricity reliability is studied, highlighting the implications of this framing for electricity-intensive residential energy transitions.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2339863
- PAR ID:
- 10600928
- Publisher / Repository:
- Applied Energy
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Applied Energy
- Volume:
- 385
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0306-2619
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 125497
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Electricity unreliability Residential electrification Social dimensions of reliability Science and technology studies Power outages California energy policy
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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