1. Consumers' Perception of Photovoltaic Systems
Marco Sonnberger
University of Stuttgart
ZIRIUS - Stuttgart Research Center on Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Studies
1/18/2019

2. Research Objectives
Empirical investigation of individual mental models of the decision to purchase a photovoltaic system
What kinds of motives are significant for the decision to purchase a photovoltaic system?
How are these motives represented in individual mental models and how are they related to each other?

3. Definition of „Mental Model“
Mental models are individual’s cognitive representations of specific concepts and their relationships about a particular domain (e.g. attitudes, emotions, symbols, actions, goals, values, images, experiences, memories) (Huff 1990: 15-16; (Christensen & Olson 2002: 478).
Guide people in everyday decisions (folk theories)
Give explanations for individual behavior

4. The Means-End Chain Theory (Gutman 1982)
Theoretical Concept
The Means-End Chain Theory (Gutman 1982)

5. Sample and Methods
17 semi-structured adopter interviews
Application of laddering technique („Why is this important for you?“) (Miles & Rowe 2004)
Average interview duration: Ca. 60 minutes
Qualitative content analysis of interview transcripts

6. Ecologically Dominated
Mental Model
„[…] that our descendants – like you or my children – still find an intact environment, in which they can live. I have thought of the future. Not such much of my future but of the future for our descendants.“
„Everyone should see it. It‘s important for me to show it [the photovoltaic system]. […] Just as – when I drive an electric or hybrid car – I want one where everybody can see it. That‘s an image that I like to have. […] I want to be regarded as ecological citizen. The photovoltaic system fits perfectly here. […] I have insulated my house, I own a combined heat and power unit as well as a photovoltaic system. Thus, I have saved such-and-such a percentage of CO2. However, this is only visible for others through the photovoltaic system.”

7. Economically Dominated
Mental Model
„[…] the decision to buy a photovoltaic system and not any other energy efficiency technology, which would have been affordable, was driven by the profitability of the photovoltaic systems.“

8. Aggregated Mental Modell

9. Conclusions
Different types of consumers
Complex motivational structures that go beyond environmental consciousness and pure economic utility maximization
Policies as well as societal discourses may affect different consumer types in different ways

10. References
Christensen, Glenn L.; Olson, Jerry C. (2002): Mapping Consumers' Mental Models with ZMET. In: Psychology & Marketing 19 (6), p
Gutman, Jonathan (1982): A Means-End Chain Model Based on Consumer Categorization Processes. In: Journal of Marketing 46 (2), p
Huff, Anne Sigismund (1990): Mapping Strategic Thought. In: Anne Sigismund Huff (Ed.): Mapping Strategic Thought. Chichester; New York; Brisbane; Toronto; Singapore: John Wiley & Sons, p
Miles, Susan; Rowe, Gene (2004): The Laddering Technique. In: Glynis M. Breakwell (Ed.): Doing Social Psychology Research. Oxford: Blackwell, p

11. Thank you very much for your attention!