Xuesong Li, a visiting professor in Alfred University’s (AU) Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering and a renewable energy expert, recently presented “Farmers’ Willingness in Transforming Traditional Houses to Solar Houses in Rural China–Surveying 456 Households Surrounding Chongqing.” He continued his research on the feasibility of solar houses throughout the fall 2012 semester.

Li concluded from his research that a number of factors affect the willingness of rural Chinese farmers to adopt solar harvesting technologies into their daily lives. The Chinese government could play a critical role, Li said, if it would offer a subsidy and/or draft new policies to encourage solar harvesting. One factor discouraging farmers from making the switch are potential out-of-pocket starting costs, he said. A government role would have a positive impact, as do the favorable opinions offered to farmers by neighbors and relatives who have already begun the process, Li added. 

Li has recently submitted an abstract on his work for a possible presentation at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers conference in July 2013.

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