A Framework for Understanding Rooftop Solar Adoption

Abstract

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems present a valuable opportunity for households to meet their own electricity needs while contributing to broader clean energy goals. Although some countries have promoted rooftop solar through subsidies, net metering, and other policy incentives, its global potential remains underutilized, particularly in developing countries. Understanding the factors that drive residential rooftop solar adoption is important for designing effective policy and accelerating deployment. This study develops a cross-country framework to evaluate the drivers of rooftop solar adoption across different national contexts. A state-level analysis of India is conducted and compared with existing literature on the United States and Australia to examine how adoption dynamics differ between developing and developed countries. The results show that economic conditions and energy-use patterns have the strongest influence on rooftop solar adoption in India, but they do not fully explain adoption on their own. Education, awareness, policy accessibility, financing mechanisms, and subsidy implementation also play an important role in enabling adoption. These findings suggest that, as a developing country and emerging rooftop solar market, India must place greater emphasis on policy delivery, financial accessibility, and public awareness than countries in later stages of solar market development.