Public Demand
Renewable energy sources offer several avenues for satisfying public concern for environmental preservation. National and utility-specific surveys indicate that consumers prefer environmentally clean energy and are willing to pay extra for "green" power. Increasingly, however, the premium for "green" decreases as the prices of conventional fuels increase.
Americans also support energy efficiency technologies and efforts because they view these investments as fiscally sensible and environmentally responsible. Polls across all demographic categories and political parties during the past 20 years have shown that these programs are consistently favored by the public.