Hydrogen powered innovations - Insight into the Attitude of Consumers towards Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Aim of the Thesis
• Structure of the Thesis
• Research Process
• LINDE AG
• Theory
• Diffusion of Innovations
• The Innovation Decision Process
• Adoption Criteria
• Factors that influence the Diffusion of Innovations
• Consumer Behaviour
• The Theory of Reasoned Action TRA
• Attitude-Behaviour Paradigm
• Hydrogen
• Characteristics
• The Innovation
• Challenges
• Diffusion of Hydrogen and Energy Innovations
• Actual Status
• Existing Consumer Research on Energy Adoption
• Surveys about Attitude towards Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier
• Survey on the Attitude towards Adoption of Hydrogen
• Exploratory research
• Development of hypotheses
• Person centred hypotheses
• Hypotheses regarding the Ajzen Model
• Hypotheses regarding the Rogers' Model
• The Model
• Operationalization of Theoretical Constructs
• Independent Variables
• Dependant Variables
• Results
• The Sample
• Descriptive Statistics
• Multivariate Statistics
• Regression Model I: Attitude towards hydrogen
• Regression Model II: Pull Effect
• Regression Model III: Willingness to pay
• Discussion of Results
• A general view
• Hypotheses
• A new Model for Hydrogen Attitude-Adoption Criteria
• Further Research
• Limitations
• Transition into Marketing Strategy
• Summary
• Literature
• Appendix

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis aims to provide an insight into consumer attitudes toward hydrogen as an energy carrier. By analyzing the theoretical frameworks of diffusion of innovations and consumer behavior, the author investigates the factors that influence the adoption of hydrogen technologies. The study utilizes an empirical survey to gather data on consumer perceptions, beliefs, and willingness to pay for hydrogen-powered innovations. The key themes explored in the thesis include: * **Consumer adoption of energy innovations:** The study explores the factors influencing consumer acceptance of new energy technologies, specifically hydrogen. * **The role of consumer attitudes and beliefs:** The thesis examines how consumers' attitudes and beliefs towards hydrogen impact their willingness to adopt hydrogen technologies. * **The importance of adoption criteria:** The study investigates the key criteria consumers consider when evaluating hydrogen as an energy source. * **The impact of perceived risks and benefits:** The thesis analyzes the influence of perceived risks and benefits associated with hydrogen technologies on consumer adoption decisions. * **Developing a model for hydrogen attitude-adoption criteria:** The research aims to construct a model that explains the relationship between consumer attitudes, beliefs, and their intention to adopt hydrogen technologies.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

* **Introduction:** This chapter introduces the topic of hydrogen as an energy carrier and outlines the objectives and structure of the thesis. It provides background information on the Linde Group and its involvement in hydrogen-powered innovations. * **Theory:** This chapter reviews relevant theoretical frameworks, including the Diffusion of Innovations theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), which are used to understand consumer adoption processes. * **Hydrogen:** This chapter explores the characteristics, potential, and challenges associated with hydrogen as an energy source. It examines the technology's current state and its future prospects. * **Diffusion of Hydrogen and Energy Innovations:** This chapter discusses the diffusion of hydrogen and energy innovations globally, including existing consumer research and surveys on consumer attitudes towards hydrogen as an energy carrier. * **Survey on the Attitude towards Adoption of Hydrogen:** This chapter describes the methodology employed in the empirical study, including the development of hypotheses, the model used, and the operationalization of key constructs. * **Results:** This chapter presents the findings of the empirical survey, analyzing both descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses to explore the relationships between consumer attitudes, beliefs, and their willingness to adopt hydrogen technologies.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The primary keywords and focus topics of this research include hydrogen, energy carrier, consumer attitudes, adoption, diffusion of innovations, consumer behavior, theory of reasoned action, adoption criteria, perceived risks, perceived benefits, willingness to pay, and empirical survey. This thesis examines the factors influencing the adoption of hydrogen technologies, focusing on consumer perceptions and beliefs, and ultimately contributing to the development of a model that explains the relationship between attitudes, beliefs, and adoption intentions.