Peer-to-peer solar and social rewards: evidence from a field experiment

Carattini, Stefano, Gillingham, Kenneth T., Meng, Xiangyu and Yoeli, Erez (2022) Peer-to-peer solar and social rewards: evidence from a field experiment. CCCEP Working Paper (408). Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, London, UK.

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Abstract

Observability and social rewards have been demonstrated to influence the adoption of pro-social behavior in a variety of contexts. This study implements a field experiment to examine the influence of observability and social rewards in the context of a novel pro-social behavior: peer-to-peer solar. Peer-to-peer solar offers an opportunity to households who cannot have solar on their homes to access solar energy from their neighbors. However, unlike solar installations, peer-to-peer solar is an invisible form of pro-environmental behavior. We implemented a set of randomized campaigns using Facebook ads in the Massachusetts cities of Cambridge and Somerville, in partnership with a peer-to-peer company, which agreed to offer to a subsample of customers the possibility to share “green reports” online, providing shareable information about their greenness. We find that interest in peer-to-peer solar increases by up to 30% when “green reports,” which would make otherwise invisible behavior visible, are mentioned in the ads

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Official URL:	https://www.cccep.ac.uk/
Additional Information:	© 2022 The Authors
Divisions:	Grantham Research Institute
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
JEL classification:	C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C9 - Design of Experiments > C93 - Field Experiments D - Microeconomics > D9 - Intertemporal Choice and Growth > D91 - Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q2 - Renewable Resources and Conservation > Q20 - General
Date Deposited:	17 Nov 2022 10:06
Last Modified:	14 Sep 2024 04:18
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/117362

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