Australians prefer solar and wind energy over coal and nuclear by Sophie Vorrath

A new report has found that Australians, despite being largely undecided on climate change, show overwhelming support for the development of renewables, citing solar, wind and hydro as among their preferred future energy sources, and ranking coal below nuclear in the ideal energy mix.

The study, "Climate of the Nation 2012," released today by The Climate Institute, found that Australians remained confused about climate science and unconvinced about carbon pricing solutions – although were "still ‘up for grabs’ on both," apparently – but were clear on one thing, according to Climate Institute CEO John Connor: “that Australians’ vision for a low-carbon future is one that taps into the nation’s abundant renewable energy resource."

Connor said the report's findings show there is overwhelming support for renewables, in terms of emission reduction and in ideal energy mix, as well as energy efficiency measures for industry and households.

The report found that solar was the preferred energy source for Australia, with 81 per cent of respondents placing it in their top three preferred options, when presented with nine sources to choose from (see Figure 1 below).