THE NATION WANTS NEW ENERGY

Survey: 79% have favorable view of solar energy
February 7, 2011 (Denver Business Journal)

"A new survey from Pike Research shows that 79 percent of Americans have a favorable view of solar energy, and 75 percent are favorable toward wind energy…[O]nly 15 percent [have] a favorable view of ‘cap and trade,’ the concept of setting limits on emissions and letting businesses buy and sell permits to pollute.

"Pike Research surveyed 1,000 adults to gauge consumer support for various renewable energy ideas. It ranked 12 energy and environmental concepts by the percentage of those surveyed who said they had a ‘very favorable’ or ‘favorable’ view of each idea…[S]olar and wind energy [are] viewed most favorably, followed by hybrid vehicles (64 percent favorable), electric cars (57 percent) and biofuels and clean coal (tied at 47 percent)."

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"Cap and trade got the lowest favorable rating, followed by LEED certification (19 percent favorable) and carbon offsets/credits (24 percent).

"…LEED, the environmental certification program of the U.S. Green Building Council…[had] a very low level of familiarity among respondents — 53 percent stated that they were unfamiliar with the program, the lowest level of familiarity…LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design."

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"Cap and trade as well as nuclear power got the highest unfavorable ratings, 19 percent each. Nuclear power got a 42 percent favorable rating, placing it in the middle of the pack.

"Oil and natural gas were not included among the 12 tested concepts; nor were hydroelectric or geothermal energy."