Nearly 9,500 responses were coded from the interviews. After interviewing was concluded, the names of interested households were given to the candidates' respective utility companies for follow-up contacts. This report contains the results of the qualitative study. Instead, respondents spoke from the standpoint of innovators and early adopters of PV technology. Many worked directly in the energy field or in related occupations such as architecture.
Motivations are more complex than is often realized.
As would be expected, environmental concern and cost considerations were mentioned often. The sample had obviously given energy a good deal of thought. Many said that they believed, on balance, that PV was the best option available for producing electricity today, in terms of its expected impacts on the environment and the economy. Respondents tended to believe that PV technology was feasible for residential applications. Respondents from this sample indicated that the state of the technology has advanced to the point where PV should be offered and available to consumers, and that from a technological standpoint, PV offers a number of advantages as compared with conventional electricity.