Americans Won’t Put Money Where Mouth Is for Renewable Energy

It’s no secret that greener energy sources are on the rise, especially in tech and corporate spaces. For example, previous reports show that renewable energy investments are quickly growing – utility-scale solar power is expected to rise 10 percent this year, and 17 percent in 2020.

Companies are even looking for ways to buy cleaner energy, and are joining initiatives like the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance to reduce emissions and build new renewable energy power sources.

But while this trend is soaring among companies, other research shows that it might not be top of mind for American voters.

For example, pulling from a poll by Morning Consult, PV Magazine reported that energy isn’t as big of a priority for voters. This is because other issues outcompete the topic, specifically economic issues, including taxes, wages, jobs, unemployment and spending. “Of the seven uses areas proposed [in the Morning Consult poll], fewer respondents ranked ‘Energy Issues – like carbon emissions, cost of electricity/gasoline, or renewables’ as their top issue than six other issues named, at only 6 percent,” PV Magazine said.

Additionally, the poll showed that voters expressed mixed support around the Green New Deal, a political proposal that aims to address climate change and economic inequality, “with only 46 percent expressing support, versus 31 percent in opposition, however 23 percent either didn’t know or didn’t have an opinion.”

On the bright side:

While renewable energy might not be at the tip top of voters’ list, PV Magazine says that people still care about it. For example, two-thirds of voters on the poll said that “committing to 100 percent renewable energy ‘over a ten-year period’” was the second most important step to combatting climate change, while moving to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 was the most important.

Plus, the poll showed that voters now have some knowledge of what the Green New Deal is, and what it can potentially do to improve the environment. This shows that people are concerned about climate change and are educating themselves on how they can push for positive change: “51 percent of voters in this poll from last week reported that they knew ‘a lot’ or ‘some’ about the Green New Deal, whereas in [a separate] poll from December 82 percent of voters had never heard of it.”

As a result, companies that are investing in greener energy seem to be on the right track to helping voters achieve lower emissions and a cleaner environment, even if their priorities and paths to getting their don’t exactly align.