Vermont Business Magazine: Vermonters want more solar in their towns

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February 18, 2016

REV, Vermont, VT Business Magazine

A Renewable Energy Vermont sponsored statewide poll indicates that Vermonters want more solar in their towns. Three-quarters of Vermonters surveyed support building more solar farms in Vermont (76%). Additionally, Vermonters are just as supportive of building more solar farms in their own towns (75%). Support for more solar farms extends across party lines, with Democrats (87%), Independents (65%) and Republicans (58%) all strongly supporting building more solar farms in their towns.

Regarding the pace of solar energy deployment, 77% of Vermonters believe the current pace of solar development is about right or should be going faster. A majority of Vermonters believe that the current pace of solar energy use in Vermont is about right, while 23% believe the pace of solar energy development is not going fast enough. Only 16% believe that solar energy use is going too fast.

A professionally conducted telephone poll of 300 Vermont adults was conducted from February 1-4, 2016, by Anzalone Liszt Grove and paid for by the Renewable Energy Vermont Education Fund (REVEF). The statistically significant poll had a margin of error of 5.66%.

“These results confirm the support for solar we are hearing from communities and residents across Vermont,” explained Rod Viens, Chair of the REVEF board. “All across the state, we hear from people that solar energy gives communities power and increases the state’s self-reliance with locally generated renewable energy that contributes to combat climate change. More and more communities are exploring opportunities to build solar projects and more and more customers want the financial and environmental benefits of going solar.”

The specific wording of the questions asked, was:

Do you support or oppose building more solar farms in Vermont to expand the use of solar energy?
Do you support or oppose building more solar farms in your town to expand the use of solar energy?
Thinking about the pace of solar energy use in Vermont, do you believe Vermont is going to fast in its use of solar energy, not going fast enough in its use of solar energy, or do you think its current pace is about right?