Drivers and Barriers of Solar PV Adoption in India: Insights Post National Solar Mission

In the past decade, India's energy consumption has skyrocketed. The National Solar Mission, which is endeavored to produce 100 GW of solar electricity by 2022, was declared by the Indian government in response to the country's growing energy demand. Approximately 60% of the National Solar Mission objective has been allocated to large-scale solar power providers. Therefore, learning about the actual situation facing solar power developers becomes crucial. This study seeks to determine the major factors which influence the consumer perception towards adopting solar Photovoltaic (PV) system in the households after the establishment of National Solar Mission. The technique used in the study is factor analysis as it reduces multiple dimensions/variables to the most significant factors. For this reason, Principal Component Analysis was administered and used to verify the validity of the factors. To collect the data about consumer perception, the questionnaire was constructed in English language and sent to numerous people through social media platforms and personal connections. About 86 responses were received, with majority of responses from respondents residing in Central India and North India (Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh). It is found that affordability, income level and installation cost were the most important factors that tend to shape the perception of customers in the current scenario. Designing policies in an agile approach would help India reach its goal of industrialization using power from renewable sources.