Network structure matters: how coordination and cooperation mechanisms drive solar-battery co-adoption

Abstract Battery storage can mitigate solar photovoltaic intermittency while enhancing household energy resilience, yet factors accelerating their co-adoption remain understudied. While networks are recognized as key elements in energy transitions, quantitative evidence on how network structures influence residential technology adoption is limited. We examine how local governance network structures influence solar-battery integration by analyzing renewable energy networks across eight U.S. states. Our analysis reveals that networks with higher levels of both coordination (measured through degree centrality) and cooperation (measured through clustering coefficients) are significantly associated with higher co-adoption rates. Policy entrepreneurs—stakeholders who invest resources to promote energy transitions—can accelerate co-adoption through two strategic approaches: strengthening central coordinators who share information across stakeholder groups, and fostering densely connected networks that build trust and reduce perceived adoption risks. Notably, cooperation networks show particularly strong effects compared to coordination mechanisms, as dense collaborative relationships prove especially important for technologies requiring complex integration and higher investment. These findings provide actionable strategies for accelerating clean energy adoption while advancing energy transition theory by quantitatively linking specific network characteristics to adoption outcomes.