Visible green technologies such as solar panels encourage neighbours to adopt the technology, according to the report. Photograph: Getty ImagesA “green divide” has emerged among Irish households with electric vehicles, solar panels and heat pumps strongly concentrated in affluent areas. Research from Trinity College Dublin shows clean technologies are much more likely to be adopted in well-off areas inhabited by people working in management roles who own their homes rather than in lower-income areas with many renters. EVs and heat pumps are five to seven times more prevalent in better-off places than in lower-income neighbourhoods, but the difference is as much as 13-fold between the highest and lowest income areas. There are ways in which we can address inequalities.”The study reveals other trends, including the “neighbour effect” where visible green technologies such as solar panels, EVs and home chargers encouraged other people to adopt them.

Source: The Irish Times March 13, 2026 06:09 UTC