Exploring Jordanian households’ intentions to adopt solar energy systems using the theory of planned behavior

Abstract Sustainable development advocates for an energy transition as it is central to economic growth. Jordan is actively pursuing an energy transition agenda in line with its obligations under the Paris Agreement. This paper investigates households’ intentions to adopt solar energy systems, a vital element of the sustainability transition process, using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior. In addition to the three predictors of the theory—attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—the model incorporates perceived mandatory benefits. Energy poverty and socio-demographic factors such as income and governorate are also examined to assess their impact on the relationships between the four predictors and intention. Using convenience and snowball sampling, data was collected from 405 Jordanian households. After data cleaning, which involved removing flat liners and outliers, the final sample size was 381. Structural equation modeling was employed for the analysis, revealing that all predictors positively influence intention, with attitude having the highest path coefficient (0.363). Additionally, the findings indicate that socio-demographic factors and energy poverty levels do not significantly affect these relationships. This implies that Jordanian households’ intention to adopt solar systems is primarily shaped by consumer knowledge, awareness, and behavior. Based on these results, the study proposes several policy recommendations to increase the adoption of household solar energy systems in Jordan, focusing on enhancing energy literacy and raising public awareness to promote climate resilience and support sustainable energy practices.