Do I put Solar Panels on My Roof If My Neighbors Can See Them? Uniqueness and Conformity as Drivers of Individual Technology Adoption

Utility from technology adoption is not only derived from economic value but also influenced through social factors. We argue that visibility of technology adoption can be an important social factor that can increase adoption if individuals want to signal uniqueness or decrease adoption if they want to
conform to their peers. We study in how far the potential visibility of solar panels from the street influences the adoption decision of 122,349 Danish households and find that conformity motivations seem to dominate, i.e. the average household is less likely to adopt if solar panels are visible from the street, but less wealthy households are more likely to adopt of solar panels are visible. These findings generate policy implications for supporting the adoption of sustainable technologies.