Huge US Majority Support Solar

By Ann Rascalli

The dwindling number of politicians and naysayers who still regard renewable energy as a passing fancy may have just gotten smaller; and those holdouts who still reside in that camp may want to keep their opinions to themselves after the latest polling results.

According to the results of a new study conducted by the independent polling firm Kelton Research, 92% of Americans think it’s important for the country to develop and use solar power.

What’s more, solar’s growing popularity extends almost evenly across political parties, with 89% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats and 93% of Independents agreeing that solar energy is an important aim.

The 2009 Schott Solar Barometer found that 77% of respondents also believe the federal government should make solar power development a national priority. Nearly half are considering solar power options for their home or business, while 70% of those hope to make the switch in the next five years. Only 3% already use the sun for energy.

The answers for one particular question revealed solar to be the number one choice if, as president of the U.S., respondents had to choose one energy source to fund. 43% said they would chose solar, followed by the 17% who picked wind, the 12% who settled on natural gas and the 10% who selected nuclear.

Solar is popular, yes, but not a particularly understood form of power. Results of the survey show that only 12% of those polled could say that they were extremely informed about solar power while 74% said they wished they knew more about solar power options.

The study, conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8, was commissioned by German photovoltaic company Schott Solar and the Solar Energy Industries Assn.