Crossing multiple solar energy gaps: A Dutch case study on intermediation for building-integrated photovoltaics

Building-integrated photovoltaics are a promising technology to enhance renewable energy production in the built environment while improving the aesthetics of buildings at the same time. Several challenges hinder this technology's uptake, such as information asymmetry and limited value chain coordination. Prior work demonstrates that the support of intermediaries can play a crucial role in coping with these challenges, but this aspect has not yet been previously investigated for this technology. A comprehensive overview is lacking of how various intermediaries can support a multi-stage decision process. Rather than focusing on specific intermediary actors, we explore the Dutch system for building-integrated photovoltaics, identifying which actors act or can act as an intermediary, and what intermediation activities can support the decision process. This article identifies the need for intermediation at the various stages of the decision process and the actors best suited to providing this. Drawing from our empirical findings from 26 in-depth interviews and the literature on innovation adoption and intermediaries, the results reveal that a dynamic 'ecology of intermediaries' is necessary to perform various intermediation activities at different system levels in the multi-stage decision process. As these activities and actors are highly interrelated and interdependent, we argue that it is vital to assess intermediation in a holistic way. These findings are significant for suppliers, potential intermediaries, and governments because they can support improving the decision process with the help of intermediation. The present paper contributes to innovation and intermediation studies by demonstrating that intermediation is an interrelated, multi-level, and variegated phenomenon.