Number of participants
Chapter 4: Analysis and Findings Barriers to Adoption
4.2 Thematic Analysis: Barrier Themes Identified
4.2.3 Social
4.2.3.1 Ownership Issues
Building and home ownership issues focus on the social trends in the UAE which pre-determine who owns buildings and to what extent this impacts the adoption of BIPV. Specific mention was made to the developer, building owner or client and tenant as varying scenarios for consideration. Eight technical and nine non-technical participant comments outline the clear impact of this barrier.
a) Technical Participants‘ Opinions
Two architects, three architects with research background, one PV specialist, and two other consultants presented a unified perspective on this sub-theme. The first point
2 2 2
6 6 7
15 17
0 5 10 15 20
Conflict with heritage /local building styles
High energy demand High income level Competing Alternatives Maintenance responsibilites Challenges of Expat living Lack of Interest Ownership issues
TOTAL Non-Technical Technical
of interest is the opinion that the decision to own a building is usually backed by expected payback (R05AE). Speaking about BIPV as a tool to reduce running cost, this same participant added that if the owner intends to ―retain it and operate…the operational cost then that makes a difference.‖ This statement precedes the view that developer, owner or tenant, whoever operates the building will be beneficiary and, therefore, determinant. However, developers usually tend to have a primary focus on building just to rent (R11ARE). But when they operate or reside in a part of self-built mixed-use development, interest shifts from just profit, to increased building efficiency strategies and technologies like BIPV (RO6AE). However, this view was further expanded to compare a scenario where the building is rented out and the Client pays the service charge. In this case, the developer seeks, “the minimum requirements of the code
…to achieve or to get a permit” and gives no attention to technologies like BIPV (RO6AE). This participant was implying that this ideology ultimately disqualifies the adoption of a renewable technology like BIPV; however, another participant suggested that UAE Clients who are mostly building owners, also disregard adoption for other reasons. Another participant stated it more clearly,
“…the tariff (on electricity). They (UAE citizens) are paying zero point twenty-five cents for kilowatt hour; expats are paying one point something. So, this is too much difference. So, they will not benefit by installing the PV system.” – R25PVE
Expats on the other hand, consider themselves as guests in the UAE and because they do not own houses in most cases, they are not interested in investing in BIPV (R25PVE; R31OCE). Although this sub-theme starts with an economic consideration, it is rooted in a more social construct. To put this succinctly, the participants agree that the building owner is primarily the one who makes the decision to adopt BIPV and not the tenant (R14ARE; R25PVE).
“I would love to have technologies in my house, but you know it‟s not always in our hands. It‟s the owner‟s decision from the beginning and at the end.” - R14ARE
If the building owner pays the utility bills, then, like the developer, he is automatically interested. If it is the tenant who pays for the utilities, the owner is, then, uninterested because it has no value to him (RO6AE R26OCE).
b) Non-Technical Participants‘ Opinions
Views of one participant from the Client-UAE Citizen and eight from the Client- Expat respectively, established a similar relationship between owning a house and owning or adopting the BIPV system. Firstly, one of these expats said that ownership primarily depends on State Laws, (R63CE) and thus, the building owner should be responsible for adopting BIPV (R56CE; R62CE; R63CE) – clearly deflecting the responsibility.
However, he added another reason stating that in reality, expats tend to change homes every two to three years making long term housing investments difficult (R63CE). Other participants explained that more often than not, expats do not own but rent houses in the present UAE scenario (R54CE; R61CE), and so BIPV would only be logical if they were able to not rent but would rather buy a home (R55CE; R59CE;
R56CE).
“Ok. I mean if I‟m renting the house then I wouldn‟t pay for it.” – R55CE
“If I‟m buying the house then I‟d probably like to own it, if I‟m actually purchasing.” – R56CE
“…because I would not pay for someone else‟s house. If I‟m renting, I‟m already paying for the house” – R59CE
Still another participant added that, since they did not even own the house, they will not pay for BIPV, and they want as little responsibility of the house as possible (R46CE).
“The thing is if you are talking about expats or…I don‟t know people here, when everybody gets houses, they just rent whatever is available. So, they don‟t have the choice of putting something on the roof, you know it‟s not their own house.” – R46CE Another participant argued that if in an off-case he installed BIPV, what was he to do if in future the landlord forcibly asks them to move?
“Again, I only want the system if it‟s my house because then to put a system on you landlord‟s property, number one it comes with permissions that you have to get and all kinds of different stuff. And then what happens next year if he decides he no longer wants to rent the house to me? I‟ve got solar panels that I need to deal with, so…” – R62CE