Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2024
  4. arrow_forward_ios 09
  5. arrow_forward_ios How neighbours are leading the solar power shift

How neighbours are leading the solar power shift

16 September 2024

Installing solar is not just an economic choice, it’s a form of social license writes Dr Kaveh Khalilpour, Marty Fuentes and Professor Alexey Voinov.

Solar panels installed on Australian rooftops.

Image: Adobe Stock

The solar industry in Australia is booming, with nearly a third of all households having installed solar panels. 

UTS Associate Professor in Engineering and IT, Dr Kaveh Khalilpour, former UTS student Marty Fuentes, and University of Twente’s Professor Alexey Voinov, explored the ‘neighbourhood’ effects of increased solar energy use in Australia.

In their research, Khalilpor, Fuentes and Voinov analysed what factors convinced people to take up solar, using data from rooftop solar installations between 2001 and 2022 across Australia. Their research found that income, education, age, marriage status, and employment status contributed to 80% of individual decisions to go solar.  

The remaining 20%, however, were due to the neighbourhood effect. Khalilpor, Fuentes and Voinov found that the more solar panels an individual would see around their neighbourhood, the more likely they would be to have them installed as well.

How do my neighbours affect what I do?

Neighbourhood effects aren’t new, but they are of increasing interest as Australia moves towards net zero. It’s a form of social license. Many Australians have considered solar panels, but seeing solar in your neighbour legitimises the idea, thus creating a ripple effect.

Khalilpor, Fuentes and Voinov found that the neighbourhood effect leads to an extra 15-20 solar installations per postcode per year, on average.

In Tasmania, for example, the use of solar panels is relatively low compared to other states. The neighbourhood effect boost uptake as residents see more visible examples of solar energy in use around them. 

While we normally think of Australia’s embrace of solar as an economic choice, it’s more than that – it’s also about the choices of our neighbours and being able to see the technology with our own eyes. As we work to secure a liveable climate, the neighbourhood effect can play an important role.

Marty Fuentes was the lead author of the research. He now works for Transport for NSW and contributed to this article. 

Kaveh Khalilpour, Associate Professor in Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney and Alexey Voinov, Professor in Sustainability Science, University of Twente. 

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to News in UTS Engineering and Information Technology

Related News

  • power lines at sunset
    What Australia needs to build the power grid of the future
  • Stock picture of a container loading terminal at Port Botany
    Our transport choices make a huge difference
  • solar panels in a grassy landscape, hills and clouds in background
    How to create more First Nations jobs in clean energy

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility