Solar power is as American as apple pie and the freedoms associated with some of the fundamental ideas that were developed in this country. Recent research has suggested that one of the reasons solar power is so popular is due to it being able to offer very important, fundamental items to a broad set of people across the country. How many other mandates can get 2/3 of America to approve them?
Pew Research surveyed 3,627 people between October 1 and 13, 2019. The results (PDF) showed that 92% of Americans were in favor of expanding solar panels farms, and 8% were in opposition. This value increased by 3% – roughly 10 million people – from two surveys earlier in 2019, after holding pretty steady around 89% starting at least in 2016 and 2018.
Solar power, with its 92% value, had the highest answer rate of any other climate, energy or environmental action in the poll. Expanding wind farms also polled very highly at 85%, and the nation’s largest CO2 free electricity source, nuclear power, followed with a split at 49%. Both of these energy sources have increased their public opinion since a May poll earlier this year – with wind up 2% and nuclear up 6%.
When asked separately, in a randomized manner, what one action ought we do to address American’s energy supply – developer alternatives or expand fossils – 77% of people said the former, 22% supported the latter. Meaning there are a subset of that 22% who are strongly for expanding wind and solar, but not necessarily to hand the keys over – maybe batteries could grab some more of these folks?
The country was roughly split three ways when asked about whether they thought government policies to limit climate change’s effects would help, hurt or have no effect either way on the economy. One might argue that 2/3 of the country would be ok with sensible climate actions when consider only the economics.
41 percent of respondents thought that the United States was feeling the effects of climate change “a great deal”, 35% feeling “some”, and 15% feeling not too much. Only 8% of Americans see no climate change effects in the country.
For those who thought climate change was affecting their local community – heat waves, flooding, animal welfare and habitats were most on their minds.
As politicians jockey for position in the upcoming 2020 elections, the Solar Job Census showing us solar jobs across the nation and polling from Pew above might give us insight into how the ITC extension and expansion might move through Washington DC.
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“When asked separately, in a randomized manner, what one action ought we do to address American’s energy supply – developer alternatives or expand fossils – 77% of people said the former, 22% supported the latter. Meaning there are a subset of that 22% who are strongly for expanding wind and solar, but not necessarily to hand the keys over – maybe batteries could grab some more of these folks?”
Interesting since about 2016 a lot of the competitive bids from utilities looking to replace coal fired plants with solar PV or wind generation have been getting very competitive bids including energy storage with the project. I’m wondering why Pew Research didn’t bother to add energy storage to the “research”.
Energy storage is generation neutral, it doesn’t matter what generation resource online that is “creating” an over generation situation, storing this “overage” for later use is more sane than “curtailment” of non-fueled generation resources AND the ability to use fueled generation resources in “something other” than “spinning reserve”, something that amortizes the old fueled generation sooner than later.
– maybe batteries could grab some more of these folks?
Therein lies a major problem. People in California that have purchased solar panels for their homes, and now have been cut off from power line energy, or all upset that they have no solar power, once the lines were turned off. Wow, how in the world did they buy systems and not know that if the lines were down, or closed to them, they would have no power in their homes, in the daytime, let alone at night? Without the batteries, and without a converter to change DC to AC, in the houses, they have wasted their time and money. Apparently, they also do not understand even about vehicles. When the battery is dead, there are no lights or air conditioner, radio, etc. The suppliers of these solar panels, either lied to them, or did not bother to tell them they needed batteries to make it all happen. I contacted three dealers/installers here in Virginia, and none of them mentioned the fact they when power went off, I would not have power. When I directly asked them about it, they knew, but tried to make out that it didnt really matter. Where would the power from my panels go? To the distributors, and to other customers whose power was working. JOY JOY. Told them were to go,and get off.
Your solar can still operate during a grid outage if you have a proper disconnect switch installed. The reason a power company shuts off homes with any kind of generator (solar or fossil fuel) is the safety of the crews working on the lines. They don’t want home-sourced power feeding high voltage back through the transformers and lines.
A disconnect switch isolates the house wiring from the grid, so it isn’t a safety issue. It’s not a complicated or expensive device if it’s manual, and a bit more if it is automatic. It should be standard for anyone who makes their own power at home and wants it to work during outages.
D Douglas: You think you’ve found the “lie” in the application of solar PV to one’s life?
When a utility is doing things like introducing tiered electric rates, using solar PV as an excuse for the “duck curve” and “curtailment” of non-fueled generation with spot price contracts signed with fueled generation plants to “ramp” around grid demands, is also disingenuous, expensive to YOU the ratepayer and inefficient, which once again the ratepayer pays for on every kWh of electricity they use. Back in 2005 I knew up front a “grid tied” solar PV system had to shutdown when the grid failed. “Islanding” is allowed IF you have the proper transfer switch and proper “off grid” inverter dedicated to “critical circuits” in the home. With the recent SPI in Utah this year, many products were displayed that can help create a compact smart ESS and solar PV system. There is smart circuit breaker technology that can isolate home circuits from the grid and allow power to some selected home circuits during the power outage. A smart ESS also can be valuable in solar PV power shifting to late afternoon to early evening hours, giving one electricity use wasted to the cheapskate utility at a lousy wholesale rate per kWh. The ESS can also be used for arbitrage, where off peak or super off peak electricity can be stored in the battery and used for early morning use spikes before the solar PV starts making good usable power for the day.
Tesla is selling a lot of powerwalls in CA.
To help the people of CA, they dropped the proce $1000.