BOOSTING PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN PHOTOVOLTAICS: STRATEGIES FOR SMES IN THE POST-SUBSIDY CHINA

Following the removal of photovoltaic subsidy policies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China have turned to private financial investment to sustain their operations. This study explores how information strategies can motivate co-production and how structural strategies can change behavioral opportunities, thereby affecting private co-investment decisions. A survey experiment was conducted to assess how valued information and administrative burdens affect the public’s willingness to invest, using rural household photovoltaic practices as a case study. The results show that individuals exposed to individual value information are more willing to invest than those receiving public value information. Additionally, the analysis of the interaction between value information and administrative burdens highlights a combined effect of information strategies and structural factors. These findings offer valuable insights for SMEs on utilizing information tools to encourage citizen investment in photovoltaics and suggest strategic innovations for new business models and energy transition solutions.