Introduction
Innovative Moduls
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  Acceptability
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Itinerant Exhibition
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Acceptability Study

Several questionings of inhabitants, tourists, architects, planners and representatives of monument protection authorities were carried out in the course of the project. The results confirm the important and so far underestimated role of design aspects as acceptability factor.

The complete acceptability study as brochure in English (10 Euros) can be ordered from IÖW Berlin. Bernd Hirschl:
Acceptability of Solar Power Systems.
A Study on Acceptability of Photovoltaics with
Special Regard to the Role of Design.
Schriftenreihe IÖW 180/05. Berlin 2005.
ISBN 3-932092-81-3.

IÖW Berlin
Institut für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung
Potsdamer Straße 105
D-10785 Berlin
Tel: 0049 - (0)30 - 884 594-0
Fax: 0049 - (0)30 - 882 54 39
Email: mailbox@ioew.de

A summary is contained in the PVACCEPT final report.

Acceptability and Transferability

In May 2003 an international workshop with the title "Acceptability and Transferability of Photovoltaics" was organised by PVACCEPT in Berlin. Participants were, besides the members of the PVACCEPT consortium, external experts, members of the research centre FACT at UdK Berlin, and the European observers.

In the first general questioning

  every second interviewee in Italy and every tenth in Germany
     considered the photovoltaic modules available on the market
     as "not aesthetic";

  two thirds of the interviewees in Italy and three quarters of those
     in Germany were of the opinion that installation of photovoltaics would
     be possible even at historical buildings if the technological elements were
     specially designed.

A second questioning concentrated on architects and decision-makers from
public bodies; furthermore tourists and local population were questioned with
regard to the built PVACCEPT demonstration objects. One of the results of
this second study was an excellent acceptance of these objects both
in Italy and Germany.

Results of the workshop concerning acceptability:

  Design is an even more important acceptability factor than anticipated.

  Design also has to comply with the requirements of sustainability, i. e.
     environmental and economic aspects.

  Design influences the type of building integration of photovoltaics,
     which on its turn influences the environmental and energy efficiency.

Results of the workshop concerning transferability:

  The local situation has to be considered, which means also to deal with
     different target groups.

  Important intermediaries for the dissemination of the technology are
     architects and craftsmen, but also administration representatives
     and decision-makers.

  Knowledge and awareness are important factors. Therefore education
     and training with respect to photovoltaics are necessary to raise
     the acceptance of solar technology in general.

  Making use of the demonstration potential of "virtual reality" supports
     the necessary activities to convince the public, administrations, and
     decision-makers.

  Barriers, which stand against a wide dissemination of photovoltaics,
     are costs and bureaucracy. These barriers have to be investigated
     before project implementation.

  Local authorities play an important role as multipliers.

  An additional chance for fostering the dissemination of photovoltaics can
     be seen in city marketing or the "corporate identity" of cities.

  Also tourism is an application field for photovoltaics. In this area there
     exist already positive initiatives from which to learn.