Technology acceptance of balcony solar systems in Hungary – exploring influencing factors in a late-adopter country

Purpose Balcony solar panels are popular and widespread in most EU Member States, except in Hungary, where their use is currently banned. However, the lifting of this strict ban is expected to be approved in the near future. The aim of this research is to investigate which factors influence residents’ intention to use balcony solar panels in Hungary and how strong these impacts are. Design/methodology/approach Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) is applied to predict which factors may influence residents’ behavioral intention to use this technology. Six components are tested: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and price value. Data were gathered in Hungary in 2023 using an online survey. A quota sampling method was employed during the data-collection process. Findings Our results confirm the importance of all components except effort expectancy. In addition to the economic benefits that can be achieved, citizens consider energy independence and a sense of freedom to be important in the adoption of such systems. Research limitations/implications Despite the large share of positive responses (expressed intention) that is identified, a gap between intention and action can be expected. Practical implications To increase the rate of acceptance, transparent regulation, simplified administration and the application of nudges may be crucially important. However, the widespread use of balcony solar systems is hindered by the lack of a modern, energy-efficient building stock, emphasizing the urgency of deep renovation in the Hungarian household sector. Originality/value This research is the first to use the UTAUT2 model to analyze the technology acceptance of balcony solar systems in a late-adopter country.