Hi all, The clean energy transition is gaining momentum in the United States, with billions in state and federal incentives being applied to electric vehicles, building retrofits, and clean energy sources, among others. However, according to the organization Rare, this transition is not equitable. In other words, low-income communities in the United States do not have the same opportunities to adopt clean energy technologies because they cannot afford to pay the upfront costs. Rare’s Solar Helping Ignite Neighborhood Economies (SHINE) initiative is working to change that. SHINE provides marginalized communities in Boston with job training in the renewable energy sector, making the clean energy economy more accessible. Their program lasts 13 weeks and includes training on life skills, workplace safety, solar design, and solar installation. They also support the development of community solar systems on the roofs of local non-profits.
As I was reading this story, social diffusion as a behavior change strategy came to my mind. Social diffusion, in the context of community-based social marketing, is the process by which a behavior spreads through a group, community, or population of people. Since people are inordinately influenced by those around them (e.g. friends, family, colleagues, neighbors), they may be more likely to adopt a behavior through face-to-face conversations and/or by someone modeling the behavior. In the case of solar energy in the United States and beyond, solar panels often occur in clusters, as people have conversations with their neighbors about the benefits of solar energy. A bonus is that the installation of solar panels is a visible behavior; that is, people can see that their neighbors have adopted a new behavior and may therefore be more likely to adopt it themselves. Let’s hope that those who have been trained through SHINE will model the behavior of installing solar panels for the rest of their community and that qualifying low-income households continue to benefit from these shared systems.
To read more about the SHINE program, click here and here.
As I was reading this story, social diffusion as a behavior change strategy came to my mind. Social diffusion, in the context of community-based social marketing, is the process by which a behavior spreads through a group, community, or population of people. Since people are inordinately influenced by those around them (e.g. friends, family, colleagues, neighbors), they may be more likely to adopt a behavior through face-to-face conversations and/or by someone modeling the behavior. In the case of solar energy in the United States and beyond, solar panels often occur in clusters, as people have conversations with their neighbors about the benefits of solar energy. A bonus is that the installation of solar panels is a visible behavior; that is, people can see that their neighbors have adopted a new behavior and may therefore be more likely to adopt it themselves. Let’s hope that those who have been trained through SHINE will model the behavior of installing solar panels for the rest of their community and that qualifying low-income households continue to benefit from these shared systems.
To read more about the SHINE program, click here and here.
