80% of US consumers in favour of offshore wind says AWEA – Smart Energy

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has announced the results of a new national poll which shows that over 80% of the country favour offshore wind energy. Every demographic group across the US support offshore wind, according to the survey.

The national survey was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies between 16-19 March 2020, with ardent supporters emerging from both major political parties, indicating that the issue transcends political lines.

Voters across the board appreciate the benefits wind energy delivers, with Republicans overwhelmingly viewing wind as a clean, renewable, affordable power source that also reduces carbon emissions (88%) and keeps utility costs stable, while providing critical power to Americas densely populated areas (80%).

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AWEA said that both Democrats and Republicans prefer wind to the increased use of coal, nuclear or natural gas. Voters currently believe both oil and natural gas and wind energy play an important role in todays economy (93% and 86%, respectively), with more than half of Republican voters saying the United States should put more emphasis on producing domestic energy from both wind and solar (58% and 66%) than other forms of energy.

A majority of voters think the wind energy industry will be more important to the countrys economy than oil and natural gas ten years from now (57% to 43%), and 85% of voters agree wind energy is a clean, renewable, and affordable power source of the future, including 80% of Republicans.

The offshore wind industry possesses a power potential of more than 2,000GW, nearly double the nations current electricity use. AWEA estimates that the industry will support 83,000 jobs by 2030 and that it will drive $25 billion dollars per year in new economic activity by 2030.

Support for offshore wind is favoured across the country, not just in coastal states. With 90% of those in the South and 89% of those in the Midwest viewing it the most favorably. There are also no generational divisions on the issue.

Additionally, those who identify as conservative, moderate or liberal all are in high percent ages for their overall approval rating of offshore wind.

Republicans strongly believe that offshore wind:

Support is strong for Independents as well; 70% say the US needs to put more emphasis on wind energy and 82% of Independents favor offshore wind energy specifically. Support for offshore jumps after voters learn more about the industry.

The strong bipartisan support for offshore wind among voters is very encouraging, said AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan. Consumers clearly see that offshore wind provides significant environmental benefits and will serve as a real economic game-changer in the coming years, helping the nation recover and adding family-supporting jobs where theyre needed most at the local level following the coronavirus pandemic.

This story first appeared on our sister site, Renewable Energy World.

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80% of US consumers in favour of offshore wind says AWEA - Smart Energy