Belief that a major contribution from solar to energy needs in the US is no longer a distant prospect appears to be hardening among Americans, according to a poll.
A Harris Poll, the long-running bellwether of US public opinion, asked 2,205 Americans in October last year to give their views on the contributions solar will make in the coming years.
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Over the next two to five years, only 31% said solar would make a “major” contribution to meeting US energy needs, 53% said it would make only a “minor” difference” and 16% said it would make no difference at all.
But looking further ahead, to the next 15-20 years, that view reversed, with 57% backing solar as a major energy contributor and 35% saying it would be a only minor player. Only 8% expect it to make no difference at all by this time.
And Americans also appear confident in the solar technical expertise that now exists in the US: asked if they believe the country has the technological know-how for solar to become an important energy source, 63% said they did, 20% said they did not and 17% said they were not sure.
Compared to a similar Harris Poll six years ago, the latest findings suggest a slight hardening of belief in solar as a significant energy contributor in the near rather than much longer term future.
When the same questions were asked in Harris Poll six years ago, belief was stronger in solar as a long-term energy solution, with 60% then proclaiming it to be a major contributor in the 15-20-year timeframe compared to 57% today. The sentiment six years ago was slightly less in favour of solar as a short-term fix, with 27% compared to today’s 31% believing it to be so.
Unsurprisingly, the poll found belief in solar to be stronger among American Democrats than Independents or Republicans: over the next two to five years 39% of Democrats endorsed solar as a major contributor, compared to 29% and 22% of Independents or Republicans respectively; over 15-20 years the comparable figures for the different political allegiances are 69%, 56% and 44%.