Non-Industrial Solar Energy Use, Barriers, and Readiness: Case Study of Oman

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The reviewed article is interesting, but an immediate question arises: is a sample size of 113 sufficient? If you believe it is, justify this decision. If you consider it a limitation (as I do), identify it as such. Have the survey questions been validated to ensure they provide reliable results? In my opinion, you provided insufficient information about the survey's structure. There is also a lack of information on how the study was conducted and potential biases. Justify the choice of statistical analysis methods (PCA and the Kruskal-Wallis H test) and explain their significance for the research questions or other inquiries. This is a missing element in the work. In the discussion, you identified significant barriers (including high costs and lack of awareness), but there is no practical translation into policy changes or other practical recommendations. Provide specific recommendations that are feasible and based on the findings. Present specific, clearly defined, and structured conclusions that are directly supported by the results.
The article is generally well-written. In my opinion, incorporating the proposed changes will improve the manuscript's clarity. Please explain the data sources, as the map based on the Global Solar Atlas uses data from 2018.

Author Response

Comment 1: Does the introduction provide sufficientbackground and include all relevant references? (can be improved)

Response 1: The introduction has been improved with additional references highlighted in red. For instance, In Poland, Pater (2023) demonstrated, how solar photovoltaic and heat pumps cam help in heating water in residential buildings.

In their study Kuzior et al. (2023) examined different types of energy taxes and their effectiveness depending on the energy production. For instance, countries with diverse energy systems should have complex energy taxes as compared to the one with fossil fuel-based energy system and renewable energy system.

The solar industry should also focus on minimizing the solar power losses by improving the quality (Alhmoud, 2023). Another aspect is to identify the most efficient location for solar panels so have the maximum amount of radiation (Wang et al., 2023; Hassan et al., 2023). Energy-efficient construction and renewable energy sources are two approaches that can help us minimize our reliance on fossil fuels and thereby safeguard the environment (Barwińska-Małajowicz et al., 2023).

Comment 2: Is the research design appropriate? (Yes)

Response 2: Thanks for your comment.

Comment 3: Are the methods adequately described? (can be improved)

Response 3: The method is further explained. The addition is higlighted in red. For example,  PCA is a statistical method that simplifies the interpretation and visualization of big data tables by dividing the information content into smaller, more manageable indices. PCA extract the most important information from the data and describe it as a set of summary indices known as principle components. (Abdi and Williams, 2010). The objective is to extract relevant information data and express it as a set of new orthogonal variables known as principal components, and display the pattern of similarity between the observations and variables as points on maps.

The Kruskal-Wallis H test, also known as one-way ANOVA on ranks, is a non-parametric method used to determine statistically significant differences between independent and dependent variables (Kruskal, 1952). Non-parametric meaning that no assumptions are made about the data's properties, such as mean and variance. This indicates that at least one sample is stochastically dominating over the other. The Kruskal-Wallis test is applied in the following situation (McKight, 2010; Miller, 1997; Siegel, 1957): 1- data is non-normal or have a skewed distribution (data in each category should be evenly distributed), 2- presence of two or more independent groups of variables, 3- data should follow similar distribution across groups, and 4- sampling should be random.

Comment 4: Are the results clearly presented? (can be improved)

Response 4: Thanks for your feedback. More explanations are provided in the results higlighted in red. For example, The analysis found that 68% of Omani population never used solar energy, while only 8% using it less than 6-month. The percentage of population using more 3 years is only 7%, using since 2-3 years is 6%, using last 1-2 years is 8%.

Moreover, in order to depict the similarities between the barriers i.e. high installation cost, high maintenance cost, lack of technical support, and lack of awareness of samples in the dataset the PCA plot is drawn. The PCA extract relevant information from the data asset and presents it as a set of new orthogonal variables known as principal components, and display the pattern of similarity between the observations and variables as points on maps.  

Comment 5: Are the conclusions supported by the results? (can be improved)

Response 5: Additional information are added to the conclusion based on the results. For example,

The 49% respondents agreed on lack of awareness, followed by 49% high installation cost, 39% high maintenance cost, and 35% lack of technical support as major barriers to solar energy adoption.

In terms of awareness of solar energy and desire to use it in the future, 59% were aware of the solar energy program and willing to use it, while 42% were unaware but eager to use it later. Only 29% were unaware and unwilling to use it in the future.

This study also has theoretical and practical implications. Oman has huge potential for lithium exploitation and production which is the main source of solar, however this potential cannot be attained until serious challenges in the country’s regulations, and awareness, financial supports, and investment strategy are overcome (Mishrif and Khan, 2023). Photovoltaics is a costly investment, causing many countries to delay its implementation. Therefore, there is need to design policy to reduce the taxation or custom duties on the solar technology. Furthermore, schemes should be developed on the financial supports depending upon the first time solar energy consumer and existing solar energy consumer. A mechanism need to be designed to encourage people to use solar energy through discounts of different forms. Another aspects to focus is to create an awareness campaign on the solar energy use and its long terms benefits to the environment and climate change. The educational campaign include, seminars and training sessions. In addition, social media should be used to spread the causes of environment degradation and climate change and the potential remedies to it.

Comments and Suggestions:

Suggestion1: The reviewed article is interesting, but an immediate question arises: is a sample size of 113 sufficient? If you believe it is, justify this decision. If you consider it a limitation (as I do), identify it as such. Have the survey questions been validated to ensure they provide reliable results? In my opinion, you provided insufficient information about the survey's structure. There is also a lack of information on how the study was conducted and potential biases. Justify the choice of statistical analysis methods (PCA and the Kruskal-Wallis H test) and explain their significance for the research questions or other inquiries.

Response1. Thanks for your valuable feedbacks. Although, the sample size is small and this is one of the limitation of the study, however the 113 sample is enough to conclude the study findings since the random sampling technique is used. The random sampling technique reduces the biasedness in the data. The random sampling aided in limiting the bias and allowed to securely generalize the findings of the sample. Moreover, the descriptive outcomes are supported by the Kruskkall Wallis test. The survey questions were pilot tested before the actual distribution to ensure the reliability of the result. The survey had two categories of questions. 1- Demographic information. The demographic information mainly covered the background and experience of the responders. For instance, gender, age, solar energy use at home, solar energy program awareness, and awareness of SAHIM I and II projects. 2- Specific question to answer the research objectives and research questions. These questions had several independent variables. The PCA and the Kruskal-Wallis H test are used to demonstrate the similarities between the major barriers and their statistical significance. For instance, the PCA analysis has revealed that installation and maintenance costs can be grouped under the costs barriers while awareness and lack of technical support falls under other barriers category.

Suggestion2: This is a missing element in the work. In the discussion, you identified significant barriers (including high costs and lack of awareness), but there is no practical translation into policy changes or other practical recommendations. Provide specific recommendations that are feasible and based on the findings.

Response2: Photovoltaics is a costly investment, causing many countries to delay its implementation. The study recommends to design policies on solar energy with the aim to reduce the taxation or custom duties on the solar technologies. Furthermore, schemes should be developed on the financial supports depending upon the first time solar energy consumer and existing solar energy consumer. A mechanism need to be designed to encourage people to use solar energy through discounts of different forms. Another aspects to focus is to create an awareness campaign on the solar energy use and its long terms benefits to the environment and climate change. The educational campaign include, seminars and training sessions. In addition, social media should be used to spread the causes of environment degradation and climate change and the potential remedies to it.

Suggestion3: Present specific, clearly defined, and structured conclusions that are directly supported by the results.The article is generally well-written. In my opinion, incorporating the proposed changes will improve the manuscript's clarity.

Response3: Thanks for your suggestions. The conclusion restructured

Suggestion 4: Please explain the data sources, as the map based on the Global Solar Atlas uses data from 2018.

Response 4: Thanks for the input. The data source explained with the refernce.

Global Solar Atlas (2018). Photovoltaic power potential. Available at: https://globalsolaratlas.info/download/oman, (Accessed on 15 March 2024).

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors

Your article raises very important and current topics in the context of global warming and the implementation of sustainable development goals.

Unfortunately, photovoltaics is an expensive investment, as the authors emphasize. And this is one of the reasons for the lack of implementation of photovoltaic systems in many countries around the world. The second important barrier is the lack of social awareness. This barrier is more difficult to eliminate. It is common knowledge that the adaptation of modern technological solutions is possible if society is convinced of the benefits of implementing modern technologies. The benefits can be manifold. Financial is not always the most important thing. A more conscious society focuses on climate and environmental protection.

All this was well described by the authors. The literature on the subject is properly selected. It is also worth referring to the article https://doi.org/10.3390/en16104203. This includes, among others: on taxes stimulating the production of renewable energy. The article presents regulatory instruments for energy transformation and its impact on building a clean, safe and sustainable energy system of the country. Perhaps this will be an inspiration for Oman's energy policy.

The research methodology of the authors of the reviewed article is unquestionable, but it is somewhat misleading due to the very small research sample. It would be necessary to emphasize very carefully that these are pilot studies and no general conclusions can be drawn about the behavior of the population. In the future, I recommend conducting this type of research on a representative sample. Due to the importance of the topic and the correctly written text, I recommend the article for publication after minor corrections.

Best regards

Reviewer

Author Response

Comment 1: Does the introduction provide sufficient background and include all relevant references? (can be improved)

Response 1: The introduction has been improved with additional references highlighted in red.

Comment 2: Is the research design appropriate? (can be improved)

Response 2: Thanks for your suggestion. An improvement in the research design has been incorporated. For instance, the survey questions were pilot tested before the actual distribution to ensure the reliability of the result. The survey had two categories of questions. 1- Demographic information. The demographic information mainly covered the background and experience of the responders. For instance, gender, age, solar energy use at home, solar energy program awareness, and awareness of SAHIM I and II projects. 2- Specific question to answer the research objectives and research questions. These questions had several independent variables. The survey was designed keeping in mind the following research questions: What is the proportion of Omani population who use solar energy? What are the barriers to the solar energy consumption and use in Oman? How do people’s perceptions towards solar energy barriers differ, provided they have used it at some point in life? What are the key factors influencing the promotion of solar energy programs in Oman? How likely is the Omani population willing to use solar energy in future?

The survey targets Oman-based residents using random sampling, a method that ensures each member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen, avoiding potential bias and ensuring an equal distribution of samples. In a random sampling technique each member of a population gets an equal and independent chance of being chosen for a sample (Etikan and Bala, 2017; Singh and Masuku, 2014; Copas and Li, 1997). As a result, there is no association between the observations in each group or between the groups themselves, implying that each individual or object in the population is selected completely at random, with no bias in the process. This means that each individual or object in the population is selected entirely at random, with no bias in the selection process.

Comment 3: Are the methods adequately described? (can be improved)

Response 3: The research methods is further explained highlighted in red.

Comment 4: Are the results clearly presented? (can be improved)

Response 4: Thanks for your feedback. More explanations are provided in the results higlighted in red.

Comment 5: Are the conclusions supported by the results? (can be improved)

Response 5: Additional information are added to the conclusion based on the results.

Suggestions and Comments:

Suggestion 1: It is also worth referring to the article https://doi.org/10.3390/en16104203. This includes, among others: on taxes stimulating the production of renewable energy. The article presents regulatory instruments for energy transformation and its impact on building a clean, safe and sustainable energy system of the country. Perhaps this will be an inspiration for Oman's energy policy.

Response 1: Thanks for your suggestion. The artcile “Applying Energy Taxes to Promote a Clean, Sustainable and Secure Energy System: Finding the Preferable Approaches” has provided valuable insight on the policies. Some of the relevant policies are suggested in the Oman context. For instance, The study recommends to design policies on solar energy with the aim to reduce the taxation or custom duties on the solar technologies. Furthermore, schemes should be developed on the financial supports depending upon the first time solar energy consumer and existing solar energy consumer. A mechanism need to be designed to encourage people to use solar energy through discounts of different forms.

Suggestion 2: The research methodology of the authors of the reviewed article is unquestionable, but it is somewhat misleading due to the very small research sample. It would be necessary to emphasize very carefully that these are pilot studies and no general conclusions can be drawn about the behavior of the population.

Response 2: Thanks for your valuable feedbacks. Although, the sample size is small and this is one of the limitation of the study, however the 113 sample is enough to conclude the study findings since the random sampling technique is used. The random sampling technique reduces the biasedness in the data. The random sampling aided in limiting the bias and allowed to securely generalize the findings of the sample. Moreover, the descriptive outcomes are supported by the Kruskkall Wallis test. The survey questions were pilot tested before the actual distribution to ensure the reliability of the result.