Escalating environmental stress and uneven progress in sustainability demand timely action. Despite India's growing solar capacity and a large Gen Z population, adoption remains uncertain. This study explores Generation Z's intention to adopt solar technologies by integrating environmental concern (EC), and government initiatives (GI), addressing a critical gap in the Indian context.
The present study considers solar rooftops and water heaters under solar technologies (STs). Data were collected from 372 Indian college and university students using a purposive sampling method. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed using SmartPLS 4 to test relationships among “subjective norms” (SN), “government initiatives” (GI), “environmental concern” (EC), attitudes, and “perceived behavioral control” (PBC) constructs.
The results show that EC (β = 0.498), GI reflecting green identity (β = 0.232), SN (β = 0.400) and attitude (β = 0.264) significantly influence behavioral intention to adopt STs. In contrast, PBC is insignificant (β = 0.073), likely due to cost-related constraints. These findings highlight the importance of youth-focused awareness initiatives and targeted subsidies in the Indian solar context.
This study provides novel evidence on the behavioral determinants of STs adoption among Generation Z customers in India. Insights can guide solar manufacturers, practitioners, policymakers and researchers to design interventions that encourage sustainable technology adoption and overcome perceived adoption barriers.
