How Many Americans Support Solar Energy?
According to a report released by The Pew Research Center, a whopping 89 percent of Americans, regardless of their political views, support solar energy. In other words, nine out of ten Americans believe that solar energy is a good alternative to conventional sources of energy. The statistics clearly prove the shifting mindset of the American population towards alternative sources of energy.
The report, released by Pew Research Center, a reputable and well-known research and polling organization focused on worldwide trends, highlighted the changes in the attitude of the American population towards alternative sources of energy available today, with a special focus on solar energy. Not surprisingly, solar energy was the most widely accepted compared to all other forms of energy. Only 9 percent of Americans were against it.
The second-most accepted energy form was wind power, with 83 percent of Americans supporting this energy form. 14 percent of Americans are against it. Contrary to the support that these two sources of energy received, other sources of energy, which could be considered rather traditional, did not receive such a strong support. In fact, offshore drilling was supported by just 45 percent, and 52 percent opposed it. Nuclear power plants were supported by only 43 percent, and coal mining had the lowest support at just 41 percent.
These favorable attitudes and statistics of America on solar energy are truly impressive and encouraging, and may even hint a brighter, greener future for the country. They are also a reflection of the changes the industry, and not just the general population, is slowly adopting. These changes may include a desire to decrease energy costs and expenses; gaining energy independence, as well as lowering negative environmental impact through energy saving.
However, such a mindset does not always mean that a homeowner or a factory owner will immediately switch energy sources by installing solar panels. It simply means that such people, and the American population in general, have grown to be increasingly aware of and curious about the benefits and advantages of a clean solar energy which is self-generated and is highly cost-effective in the long run.
Which states are leading proponents of solar energy in the United States?
As per the report released by Pew Research Center, the state of California is the number one in the whole of the US when it comes to solar energy installation. Solar installers in the west coast state lead the nation in the number of installed systems at more than 40 percent. Electricity is relatively expensive in California. ‘The Golden State’ have plenty of sunshine all year round, has a good and reliable net metering policy, as well as impressive utility interconnection codes. All these are contributing factors to the high usage of solar panels in the state.
The second-most supportive state of solar energy is New Jersey, followed by Arizona. Massachusetts, New York, and Hawaii follow right after. Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut follow to make it to the top ten states in the U.S. It was seen that in states where electricity is relatively more expensive, solar energy gains more support.
Why does a huge population of America support solar energy? Well, 90 percent of them choose to go solar because of the benefit of saving on electricity bills. On the other hand, 87 percent said they support solar energy because they believe they can help in saving the environment in doing so. Whatever their reason is, it appears America’s population is headed towards a future with clean energy services.