Serious Games in Breaking Informational Barriers in Solar Energy

The adoption of solar energy – widely assumed to be pivotal to a new energy transformation – has been hindered by persistent information gaps. Recent literature states the importance of using behavioral science to address the persistent gaps between the technical potential of low carbon technologies and the actual adoption of these technologies. With the goal of addressing this important knowledge gap, this study investigates the efficacy of serious games – games with a primary purpose other than entertainment – to overcome informational and perceptive barriers to broader adoption of solar PV in the residential sector. Using a trivia-style game platform, we assess the impact of serious games on intentions and behavior toward solar energy in residential energy customers, applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control). Our findings indicate that serious games are effective in bridging the information gap and enabling participants to feel agency, thus could prove an effective intervention strategy applied at large scale