Australian Consumer Attitudes and Decision Making on Renewable Energy Technology and Its Impact on the Transformation of the Energy Sector

This paper critically examines research on consumer attitudes and behavior towards solar pho-tovoltaic (PV) and renewable energy technology in Australia. The uptake of renewable energy technology by residential consumers in Australia in the past decade has transformed the electric-ity supply and demand paradigm. Thus, this paper reviews Australian research on consumer be-havior, understanding and choices in order to identify gaps in knowledge. As the role of the con-sumer transforms, there is a critical need to understand the ways that consumers may respond to future energy policies to mitigate unforeseen negative social and economic consequence of pro-grams designed to achieve positive environmental outcomes