20.500.12556/DKUM-99701 Extending the theory of planned behaviour through multidimensional motivations Renewable energy communities (RECs) are increasingly recognised as important instruments for accelerating the transition towards decentralised, low-carbon energy systems. However, technological progress and supportive policies alone cannot ensure their success, as participation depends largely on citizens’ behavioural readiness. This study investigates the behavioural determinants of participation in renewable energy communities by extending the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with four motivational dimensions: environmental, economic, technical, and social. A quantitative cross-sectional survey of 174 household electricity users in Slovenia was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that environmental and economic motivations were positively associated with Attitudes, Technical Motivation was positively associated with Perceived Behavioural Control, and Social Motivation was positively associated with Subjective Norms. These TPB constructs are positively associated with behavioural readiness to participate in renewable energy communities. A supplementary exploratory multi-group analysis suggested possible differences between prosumers and conventional consumers. Prosumer status reflected individual household renewable electricity production and not verified REC membership, while Behavioural Readiness captured prospective stated intention and willingness rather than observed participation. However, because the prosumer subgroup comprised only 15 respondents, these group-specific patterns should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in larger and more balanced samples. The study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour by integrating a multidimensional motivational framework and conceptualises participation in renewable energy communities as a socio-technical behavioural process. The findings provide empirically informed insights for policymakers, municipalities, and renewable energy community developers seeking to support citizens’ behavioural readiness to participate in renewable energy communities. renewable energy communities Theory of Planned Behaviour behavioural readiness citizen participation sustainable energy transition PLS-SEM prosumers community energy true false false Angleški jezik Angleški jezik Znanstveno delo 2026-08-24 11:53:16 2026-08-24 11:53:16 2026-08-25 03:06:48 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-45 issue 16, [art. no.] 8413 Vol. 18 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2026-07-27 2026-08-15 2026-08-18 366.1 288638467 10.3390/su18168413 2071-1050 https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/16/8413 1 a18ed947-9fa1-11f1-ab9d-00155d0001be https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=210289 RAZ_Bobek_Vito_2026.pdf RAZ_Bobek_Vito_2026.pdf 1 824532DE079B812BDDDBF64B8BFCBC02 ad298a8869e5d21e17cfd8b85bc5cbc28e71983981909e17e8d3ffe457a51f24 c38115cb-9fa1-11f1-ab9d-00155d0001be https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=210290 Ekonomsko-poslovna fakulteta 0 0 0