Residential photovoltaics (PV) presents an effective means of achieving low-carbon development, owing to its installation flexibility and resource-saving properties. To explore the residents' behavioral intentions to purchase and install residential PV systems, this study collected 1424 samples and analyze the impact of different policies on reside. ••We analyze residents' intentions to install photovoltaic (PV) systems in China.••The adoption of residential PV is influenced by the government's subsidy policy.••Property rights for buildings and bungalows also affect PV systems' installation.••China's residential PV installation policies should increase users' trust.••Future policies should aim at decreasing the reliance on subsidy policy.Residential photovoltaicThe partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM)Theory of planned behavior (TPB)ChinaTPB Theory of Planned BehaviorPA Personal AttitudesSN Subjective NormPBC Perceived Behavioral ControlPR Perceived RewardPG China, as the world's largest power generator, faces challenges owing to its coal-based electricity mix, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, China's carbon emissions were 110.4 billion tons, accounting for 28.9 % of the world's emissions. China's heavy reliance on fossil fuels and widespread development have resulted in serious environmental and social problems. For instance, haze spread across half of China between 2012 and 2018 and power rationing occurred in 2021 during the summer and autumn. Until 2022, the proportion of coal in China's overall energy consumption structure will be as high as 56.2 % and the use of clean energy in China's energy consumption structure will be relatively low. From the proportion of installed power capacity, China's total installed power capacity will be 256235.3 GW by the end of 2022, of which coal accounts for 43.8 %, hydropower accounts for 16.1 %, solar energy accounts for 15.3 %, wind energy accounts for 14.3 %, nuclear power accounts for 2.2 % and biomass energy accounts for 1.6 %, the entire power generation system in China still relies mainly on coal-fired power. To address these concerns and pursue sustainable development goals, the “double carbon target” was proposed during the 75th United Nations General Assembly in September 2020, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060. Thus, China developed the “Outline of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) for National Economic and Social De.
