The greenest of green: Preferences for homegrown renewables in Ireland

Little is known about consumer preferences for homegrown renewable electricity, i.e., renewables sourced from a consumer's region or nation. Existing literature on other products indicates that people often prefer locally produced goods. Other work, however, highlights the Not-in-my-back-yard sentiments that can arise in response to proposed local electricity infrastructure developments. In this paper, we first examine whether Irish consumers prefer renewable electricity contracts that source electricity from within Ireland and their province, compared to elsewhere in the European Economic Area, using a discrete choice experiment. Results from a survey of 1197 Irish adults indicate positive preferences for homegrown renewable electricity, both that generated within Ireland and to a greater extent in their province. We additionally find that homegrown green electricity is particularly attractive to people with strong place identity and green consumer values. Thematic text analysis identifies a range of different motivations behind these positive preferences, including supporting jobs and the Irish economy, energy security, and helping the environment. Overall, the findings indicate a kind of ‘positive parochialism’ where many people value pro-environmental electricity options that are homegrown.