Households’ Intention to Use Solar Rooftop Panels in Thailand: An Integrated TPB-TAM Approach

The rise in energy demand in Thailand due to constant economic growth coupled with reliance on limited natural gas and oil resources has led to an increased demand for alternative sources of energy. Therefore, this study aims at examining factors that influence the intention of adopting solar rooftop energy among households in Thailand through the integration of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). A quantitative research approach was adopted whereby data were obtained from 255 households in all parts of Thailand through questionnaires. The results reveal that attitude (β = 0.484, p < 0.001), perceived usefulness (β = 0.271, p < 0.05), and subjective norms (β = 0.257, p < 0.001) positively and significantly influence intention to use solar rooftop energy, collectively explaining 61% of the variance (R² = 0.61). Attitude proved to be the most significant predictor in this regard, underscoring the significance of the evaluative process of cognition and emotion for adopting certain behavior. This research makes a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge on renewable energy in that the TPB-TAM model has been empirically validated in a Thai household setting. In addition, the findings provide suggestive evidence of a mediating role of attitude in the link between perceived usefulness and intention, although this mediation finding should be interpreted with caution due to the conceptual overlap between these constructs and the absence of bootstrap confidence intervals. Future research is recommended to confirm this mediation pathway using formal bootstrap procedures.