Consumer Support for Wind Power and Solar Energy, Though Still High, Fell in 2012

Despite some well-publicized company failures, the solar and wind energy industries continued to expand in the United States during 2012, and consumers still tend to view the two renewable energy concepts favorably.

However, according to a recent survey by Navigant Research, consumer support for solar and wind energy, though still high, has fallen steadily over the last three years.

Favorable impressions of solar energy fell from 77 percent in 2011 to 69 percent in 2012, the survey found, while wind energy suffered a smaller drop, from 71 percent to 69 percent.