Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
•Funding for renewables has been cut across Europe in the years since the financial crisis.•Crowdfunding models share a societal ethos with proponents of investment in renewables.•Positive attitudes are shown to be widespread regarding crowdfunding's potential to support renewables.•The evidence suggests that both emotional and pragmatic (experiential) factors underpin this pattern.