Overcoming the solar PV retrofit challenge in strata properties: identifying discrete segments for targeted interventions

Purpose This article discusses research addressing apartment owners’ reluctance to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) technology by focusing on factors directly relevant to strata property owners. The research utilised a motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA)-based conceptual model and market segmentation, identifying discrete segments within this population with regards to their attitudes to solar PV adoption and informing solar PV adoption interventions tailored to each. Design/methodology/approach The research utilised a tailored survey distributed to strata property owners. To identify segments within the resulting 547-respondent sample, latent class analysis and k-means cluster analysis were performed. Findings Data analysis revealed three discrete segments within this sample: “Frustrated Advocates”, who are highly supportive of strata solar but are less likely to consider it feasible for their particular strata scheme and who might respond to an ongoing collaborative intervention; “Passive Supporters”, who are more confident that strata solar would be feasible for their scheme but less enthusiastic in their personal support; and “Older Avoiders”, who are indifferent to strata solar in principle, unwilling to support it in practice, and who might require a carrot-and-stick approach that recognises their actual motivations. Research limitations/implications The research does not test interventions targeting the identified segments. However, its findings can inform tailored interventions and subsequent case studies, and influence broader research into multi-stakeholder decision-making. Practical implications This article proposes intervention strategies based on the segments' identified characteristics, to encourage and support adoption of solar PV in existing strata properties. Social implications This article could help strata property owners and their tenants to access an important form of renewable energy. Originality/value Through the application of an MOA-based model, this article enhances extant literature by enabling the conceptualisation of the directly relevant factors facing strata property owners seeking to adopt solar PV, particularly the need for collective approval from diverse stakeholders, and demonstrates how a segmentation-based methodology can provide robust findings with regards to their resulting attitudes.