A new CSIRO survey on the attitude of Australians with regard to renewable energy transition reflects general support of the source but differs in the opinion on the speed at which it shall go forward and type of infrastructure.
The national science agency, the CSIRO, today released a wide-ranging survey of Australian attitudes toward the transition to renewable energy. The survey was carried out in August and September this year, drawing responses from more than 6,700 people across all states and territories, offering a snapshot of public opinion with regard to renewable energy sources and their associated infrastructure.
The survey then elicited feelings about the renewable technologies themselves-solar farms, onshore and offshore wind farms, and the transmission lines needed to integrate renewable energy into the national grid-as Australia attempts to transition to a low-carbon energy system.
Overall, the results show that most Australians support a transition to renewable energy, although they differ by the speed and degree. Some of the important issues that come into the mind of the respondents within this study are affordability, energy self-sufficient, and reduced emissions, which is very closely followed by reliability. Nearly half of the participants, 47%, desired a moderate pace transition. Four out of ten wanted it to happen more quickly, while 13% preferred a slow transition.
CSIRO Senior Social Scientist Dr Andrea Walton said the large sample size provides a truer representation of public opinion, including those that live near existing or proposed renewable energy developments. It also showed the general attitude is one of acceptability towards renewable energy infrastructure, as the majority of responses showed participants were indifferent to living near solar and wind farms, and associated transmission lines.
However, this also produced regional inequalities. Residents in rural areas, where most of the projects on renewable energy are likely to be located, are less accepting of the transition compared to people in metropolitan areas. Electricity transmission lines obtained lower levels of acceptance compared to other renewable energy infrastructure, largely because a section of the populace did not quite understand the function they play in the renewable energy system.
Key findings of the survey include:
- The key concerns for Australians include affordability, ranked in the top three by 82% of the respondents.
- More than 80% could tolerate having renewable energy infrastructure within 10 km of their home;
- Solar farms received the highest level of acceptance, with even support declining slightly from 95 percent in 2020 to 88 percent in 2023.
- More than 80% would accept living near wind farms, though opposition was higher in areas proposed for offshore wind farms.
- Transmission lines were less accepted, with 23% of respondents rejecting them and 77% at least tolerating their presence.
The survey also showed strong demand for clear and transparent information on the renewable energy infrastructure regarding possible benefits and local environmental or community impacts. This has shown that Australians want fuller engagement with renewables as projects progress across the country.