Factors Influencing the Intention to Use Solar Rooftop Energy of Households in Thailand

Abstract

As economic growth influences the higher demand for using electricity, there is a need to increase the norm and attitude influencing the intention to generate green electricity, which is a key source of energy to drive the country’s economy and development. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to study the total, direct, and indirect effects of the variables on the intention to use solar rooftop energy of households in Thailand, and to develop a model of the government policy and subjective use of solar rooftop energy of households in Thailand. This study was a quantitative research in which a set of questionnaires was used as an instrument to collect data from 240 samples, i.e., houses in all regions of Thailand. The samples were obtained by convenience sampling, and the data analysis relied on descriptive statistics and the structure equation model (SEM). The results showed that “Government Policy”, “Subjective Norm”, and “Attitude” had positive effects on the intention to use solar rooftop energy of households in Thailand. The model conformed to the empirical data with a significance level of 0.001. However, the government should set a security policy for the development of electricity generation by mixing sources of fuels in order to reduce the risk of heavily relying on a certain type of fuel. The transmission system should also be developed for greater reliability along with promoting the use of renewable energy to enhance the electric energy security of the country in the future.