14 DAY TRIAL // 2011 is the fourth consecutive year in which a study developed by Kelton Research indicated that 9 out of 10 American citizens are keen on exploiting the benefits offered by the solar power industry.
The national poll conducted this year shows that 80% of Republicans, 90 % of Independents and 94% of Democrats are willing to encourage and support the expansion of this field of activity, which provides green energy as a safer, sustainable substitute for fossil fuel power.
It seems that solar energy is the public opinion's favorite renewable source of energy, while fewer and fewer individuals are interested in investing their savings in the dirty yet still profitable coal business.
Numbers provided after analyzing the poll's result revealed that most of the questioned people would rather invest in solar power, while only 21% would support the development of natural gas, followed by wind 12%, nuclear 9% and coal just 3%.
Despite the fact that authorities have put the Solyndra bankruptcy under the spotlight for a large period of time, the study indicated that public opinion is still eager to explore the earth-friendly potential of energy coming from the sun.
Most of the participants (82%) agreed upon the fact that the US government's support is essential in the development of this field of activity, while 51% of the subjects thought its implication is "extremely important."
The same percentage of participants said they would be more likely to buy a product manufactured using solar panels.
People seem to be attracted to solar leasing programs, which capture the interest of more and more consumers while raising the level of education and awareness regarding the enormous renewable potential of this industry.
Even so, the study found most of the subjects fear the prohibitive costs of solar projects and that the participants hope that Washington will act fast, providing a win-win situation for the companies who operate in this line of business as well as for the American citizens.
“Thanks in part to proven policy successes like the 1603 Treasury Program, the solar industry has doubled its workforce in the last two years and now employs more than 100,000 Americans at 5,000 businesses spanning every state. And solar enjoys overwhelming support across all political affiliations – Republicans, Democrats and Independents,” indicated Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
The numbers provided by the poll have been released yesterday, also revealed that the public opinion criticizes the government's lack of support towards the solar industry, acting against the needs and demands of the citizens who have voted for them.