Smart Energy Infrastructure and Technology: Assessing Community Preparedness for Residential Solar Uptake

Abstract

The new age of the modernity has brought about many changes to the urban fabric of our cities. Fossil fuels have drastically contributed to the problems of climate change, pollution, excessive carbon emissions, and countless health issues. The consequences of our past energy choices have instigated the search for alternative energy solutions as populations continue to grow and natural resources continually deplete. One of the strategies is the use of solar energy. India has planned to draw by 2022 around 100 GW of solar energy, utilising its abundant solar energy resources to meet its increased energy demands; adopting these new technologies challenges India both practically and socially. Therefore, this study looked at the community preparedness for the uptake of solar energy in residential buildings in two localities in New Delhi, Vaishali Nagar, and Vivek Vihar. The study also looked at the building typologies, overshadowing, building orientation, microclimate, and pollution to find the correlation of these environmental factors with residents’ responses. Data was collected through questionnaires around residents’ perceptions and opinion on climate change, solar technology, and the future of India’s energy policies and infrastructure for the country. Overall, the questions were designed to shed light on the current condition of residential solar energy in India, and how decentralised energy and blockchain technology can be realised as a part of the energy growth. The findings demonstrate that the cost of solar panels and lack of information about available subsidies and technicalities are the two prime reasons for a poor solar uptake in the residential sector. Households that were hesitant to install solar, due to financial costs, also assumed there were no subsidies available. There appears to be a lack of information among residents, even among those who have solar panels installed. In regard to the peer-to-peer energy trading, 80.1% of the residents preferred to purchase power from their neighbours at a cheaper rate than from large companies at a more expensive rate. In summary, this study suggests that social and educational factors play an important role in the uptake of solar and blockchain technology, and therefore, access to clear and easily understood information is essential for residents in smart cities.