ABSTRACT
The development and utilization of solar energy have become one of the effective ways to achieve the goal of “carbon neutrality and emission peak” in China. China has high-quality solar photovoltaic (PV) resources and huge potential for rural rooftop PV installations. However, the current amount of rural rooftop PV installation is very small, so it is important to reveal the key influencing factors and promotion policies for rural residents to retrofit rooftop PV. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), after adding cultural concepts and environmental awareness adjustment variables, this paper constructs a regression model of rural residents’ willingness to retrofit rooftop PV on 375 valid questionnaire data from 27 provinces and autonomous regions in China. The results show that: (1) Perceived trust, perceived ease of use, and subjective norms significantly influence the willingness of rural residents to adopt rooftop PV retrofits. (2) Cultural concepts and environmental awareness significantly moderate adoption intention and related pathways. Finally, this paper proposes policy recommendations accordingly.