Adoption of green electricity by German small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - a qualitative analysis

The German government aims at generating 80 percent of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2050. In the German liberalized electricity market, customers can support this target by purchasing green electricity (GE), i.e., electricity produced from renewable energy sources. Yet, the demand for GE has remained low among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent the country's biggest electricity customer group. Based on a review of the relevant literature, this article investigates factors that determine SMEs' decisions whether to adopt GE. For this purpose, thematic interviews with GE providers and representatives of SMEs are performed and qualitatively analyzed. The results of the interview analysis form the basis for a conceptual framework that reflects the GE adoption decisions of German SMEs and lay the groundwork for future analysis in this area. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.