In this week’s Solar News Roundup, a Pew Research Center survey indicates record interest in solar, and New York hits a big solar milestone.
More U.S. homeowners are considering solar than ever
According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 46% of homeowners in the U.S. say they have given serious thought to adding solar to their home in the past year. That’s up from three years ago, when the same question saw just 40% of homeowners say they’ve thought about solar. Interest has especially increased in South Atlantic states – such as Delaware and Florida – where homeowners seriously considering solar has jumped 20 percentage points since 2016.
The same survey asked homeowners about their main reasons for considering solar. An overwhelming 96 percent of homeowners say that they are considering solar to save money on utility bills, while helping the environment comes in as the second-most given reason with 87 percent of homeowners pointing to it.
New York reaches two gigawatts of solar capacity
New York State’s energy development agency, the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) recently announced that the state has reached two gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity. That’s one-third of the total solar capacity needed by New York to achieve its target of six GW of solar by 2025. NYSERDA says this growth in solar capacity has created almost 12,000 jobs since 2011.
“Solar is a vital part of New York’s Green New Deal strategy to transition to a clean energy future and reduce emissions to combat one of the most pressing issues of our time – climate change,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo. “The success of this initiative demonstrates we are on a path to meeting our nation-leading energy goals, and out climate agenda is spurring economic growth and leaving this planet cleaner and greener for generations to come.”
The Green New Deal Governor Cuomo referenced is New York’s own state policy, which calls for 70 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewables by 2030.
