{"id":67256,"date":"2022-11-04T05:21:33","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T18:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=67256"},"modified":"2022-11-04T05:24:01","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T18:54:01","slug":"solar-energy-popularity-mb2702","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-energy-popularity-mb2702\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Power Again Most Favoured Energy Source In Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Solar<\/p>\n

The Climate of the Nation 2022 report reveals solar power is (again) the most preferred energy source among Australians. And coal power was (again) towards the bottom of the pack.<\/p>\n

Climate of the Nation is a survey gauging attitudes in the community on climate change and related issues. Commissioned by The Australia Institute (TAI), the initiative is now in its 15th year.<\/p>\n

This year’s report suggests record numbers of Australians are very concerned about climate change. Australians are also becoming increasingly frustrated with energy companies and a have strong desire to transition away from gas and coal.<\/p>\n

In terms of preferred energy sources, the following shows the percentage of respondents who ranked each energy source among their top three preferences in Climate of the Nation surveys going back to 2018.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n2018<\/td>\n2019<\/td>\n2020<\/td>\n2021<\/td>\n2022<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Solar energy<\/td>\n76%<\/td>\n76%<\/td>\n79%<\/td>\n79%<\/td>\n76%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wind<\/td>\n39%<\/td>\n58%<\/td>\n62%<\/td>\n63%<\/td>\n60%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hydro<\/td>\n38%<\/td>\n39%<\/td>\n39%<\/td>\n37%<\/td>\n40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power Storage<\/td>\n35%<\/td>\n29%<\/td>\n29%<\/td>\n31%<\/td>\n30%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nuclear<\/td>\n17%<\/td>\n22%<\/td>\n21%<\/td>\n20%<\/td>\n22%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tidal\/Wave<\/td>\n19%<\/td>\n21%<\/td>\n22%<\/td>\n20%<\/td>\n21%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gas<\/td>\n22%<\/td>\n20%<\/td>\n19%<\/td>\n19%<\/td>\n21%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Coal<\/td>\n18%<\/td>\n18%<\/td>\n14%<\/td>\n15%<\/td>\n17%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Geothermal<\/td>\n17%<\/td>\n17%<\/td>\n16%<\/td>\n16%<\/td>\n14%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

While solar energy remained most preferred in 2022, it lost a bit of ground while coal and gas gained. 50% of all respondents chose solar as their number one choice – down from 52% in 2021.<\/p>\n

Coal And Gas Not Only Climate Culprits<\/h2>\n

The report indicates 29% of respondents blamed renewable energy as a driver of increased electricity prices and 26% selected “unreliable” renewables requiring backup. But the\u00a0 reason electricity costs are increasing is more related to gas and coal<\/a>. According to CSIRO’s GenCost 2021-22 repor<\/a>t, renewables are the cheapest sources of electricity generation and storage in Australia – and that includes costs associated with energy storage and transmission.<\/p>\n

Other perceptions of what’s driving electricity price increases:<\/p>\n