Nine out of ten Swedes want to see the development of new energy sources as a measure to slow down climate change. By far the most popular energy source is solar power. Even there, nine out of ten Swedes are positive. This shows a survey conducted by Demoskop on behalf of European Energy ahead of the COP 26 climate summit.
– It is clear that Swedish public opinion wants more solar power. At the same time, Sweden is lagging behind when it comes to the development of large photovoltaic parks that can contribute to a fast, clean and cost-effective conversion. Here, the government and the Riksdag need to act for a national goal, a national strategy and clear guidelines that make it possible for the county administrative boards to approve more projects, says Ted Bergdahl, communications manager at European Energy in Sweden.
The study shows that solar power is seen as an important source of energy to quickly make society climate neutral. 43 percent think that nuclear power is most important, followed by solar power of 25 percent, well ahead of wind power of 7 percent.
– The support for solar power is unexpectedly strong, but small-scale roof panels are not enough to adjust so that everyone has access to solar. In order to develop solar power, large solar parks are needed in the vicinity of electricity grids where there is spare capacity. With faster and simpler permit processes, we could produce at least 20 times as much solar power as today by 2030 and thus reach 10-15 percent of the total electricity production, says Ted Bergdahl.
Today, solar power accounts for less than one percent of electricity use in Sweden, which can be compared with 10.5 percent in Germany. Southern and central Sweden have the same solar radiation as Denmark and northern Germany. The survey shows that nine out of ten believe that we have more solar power in the electricity system than we actually have.
– Sweden has ambitious climate goals and a high environmental and climate profile. Now it’s time to move on. There is obviously an expectation among the public that the expansion of solar power should be given higher priority. Solar parks have many benefits. In addition to being quick to build and connect, they are built without tax subsidies. They can be combined with agriculture and promote biodiversity. They give the landowner a good, stable and long-term income. There are only winners with solar power, says Ted Bergdahl.
About Demoskop’s survey:
2041 interviews were conducted within the framework of an established web panel. The survey was conducted in a population-representative sample of the Swedish public over 16 years of age. The result is weighted with respect to gender, age, region and party sympathy. All results can be found in the attached file.
