مقاله سال ۲۰۱۷

Transitions to renewable energy continue to attract academic attention (see, for example, Araújo, 2014; Markard, Raven & Truffer, 2012). Energy transitions represent a shift in socio-technical systems (Geels, 2004), where this shift unfolds over a long time-span and requires far-reaching changes along different dimensions including technological, organisational, political, economic and sociocultural (Markard et al., 2012). Although there are many ways to define the concept, an energy transition is defined in the current work as a long term structural change of energy systems (incorporating generation, distribution and use) from a fossil-fuel-based to a renewable energy-based system. Furthermore, consistent with government policy in many countries, renewable energy is defined as energy that is obtained from natural resources, such as solar or wind, that are continually replenished (Australian Renewable Energy Agency, undated). Internationally, the growth of renewable energy in 2015, at 8.3 per cent, is claimed to be the highest on record, which re- flects the significant growth in capacity over the last five years (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2015).

Claims are increasingly being made that nations must transition to more sustainable, renewable energy systems. This is primarily because fossil fuel-based energy generation is deemed to have substantial negative environmental effects such as carbon emissions and associated climate change impacts (Fouquet and Pearson, 2012; Fri and Savitz, 2014; Grubler, 2012; Schultz et al., 2015). Electricity generation in Australia is claimed to account for 38 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, due primarily to the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation (Byrnes et al., 2013). Data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that Australia’s per capita emissions rate remains the worst of all 34 OECD countries (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2015). Recent government projections to 2050, however, portray a shift in energy generation in Australia with average annual growth of renewable energy expanding faster (1.5%) than traditional energy sources, such as coal (0.8%), gas (−۰٫۱%) and oil (0.0%) (Syed, 2014). With global demand for electricity predicted to double by 2050 (Dunn et al., 2011), more research is needed to understand how nations can achieve effective energy transitions.

Residential energy conservation is cited as a way to encourage a transition to renewable energy (Abrahamse, Steg, Vlek & Rothengatter, 2005; Frederiks, Stenner & Hobman, 2015; Gray & Bean, 2015; Hards, 2013; Sweeney, Kresling, Webb, Soutar & Mazzarol, 2013; van Doren, Giezen, Driessen & Runhaar, 2016; Vine, Buys & Morris, 2013). Consumer-oriented studies of energy conservation are sparse, particularly in Australia (see Moloney et al., 2010; Mullaly, 1998) The literature on energy conservation is linked with a longestablished body of work on the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour (Faiers, Cook & Neame, 2007; Jackson, 2005; Steg & Vlek, 2009; Wilson & Dowlatabadi, 2007). This has seen a wide range of theories applied to pro-environmental behaviour; however, there is no agreement on the most effective change strategies nor the fundamental principles on which strategies can be built (Moloney et al., 2010). The complex interaction of factors influencing decisions to move towards renewable energy are not well understood and it is acknowledged that “more insight is needed into factors in- fluencing consumers’ acceptance of future energy systems” (Leijten et al., 2014, p. 973). For instance, a study by Bird et al. (2014) found that Australians’ support for nuclear power reduced post the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster in 2011 (i.e., an event can serve as a catalyst for forming or changing an opinion). Leijten et al. (2014) state “it is therefore essential to better understand how to promote the transition towards a sustainable energy system at the macro and meso (e.g., political, technological, institutional) levels and at the micro (e.g., individual, household) level” (p.973). This paper considers the micro level through the perspective of residents’ attitudes towards, and acceptance of, renewable energy.