Poll: 75 percent of Nevada voters want state to promote renewable energy

Nevadans want their state government to promote clean energy.

Nearly 75 percent of respondents in a new poll said it would be appropriate for the government to promote the development and use of renewable energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal power. More than 70 percent said Nevada isn’t doing enough to promote renewable energy. More than 90 percent said consumers should be able to create electricity with rooftop solar panels.

That’s according to the poll of 500 Nevada voters conducted by GOP pollster The Tarrance Group and paid for by local think tank Clean Energy Project.

The results come in the aftermath of a legislative session where rooftop solar companies battled the state’s largest utility, NV Energy, over policies on solar generation. It also arrives as casinos are trying to cut ties with NV Energy. Both battles are being fought at the Public Utilities Commission.

About 35 percent of respondents in the sample identified as GOP voters, while 42 percent were Democrats and the remainder were independents. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent.

Of all respondents, 59 percent said climate change is the result of human activity such as burning fossil fuels.

Of GOP voters, two-thirds said they thought there was evidence the climate has changed in the past two years, but fewer thought climate change was primarily man-made. Those figure fall in line with national polling that shows that a growing number of Republican voters believe in climate change but doubt that it is caused by human activity.

Although the state limits how many people can provide energy to the electric grid and their homes through rooftop solar, Nevada has increasingly devoted more of its resources to implementing more renewable energy programs.

The state is on track to have its energy portfolio be 25 percent renewables by 2025. It’s also home to the most solar jobs per capita in the country. Between 2013 and 2015, the state’s rooftop solar industry grew by more than 1000 percent.

“The Silver State is a pioneer in the energy sector, and our commitment to renewable energy has added $5.5 billion to our economy in the last five years,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement released with the poll. “I am committed to the continued development of Nevada’s energy resources by removing barriers and developing better business models that benefit our ratepayers.”