"U.S. Utility-Scale Solar Industry Primed to Explode"

"The utility-scale solar industry is ready for what one executive today called 'explosive growth,' and new national polling data released today shows that 75 percent of those surveyed support the development of solar energy plants on public lands.

'The polling data we are releasing today confirms what we already knew,' Solar Energy Industries Association president and CEO Rhone Resch told reporters on a conference call. 'The American public overwhelming supports the development of solar energy.'

The survey of 500 U.S. adults over the age of 18 conducted from February 24 through February 26 by Gotham Research Group found that solar power was the top choice (38 percent) as the best use of public land.

Respondents also selected solar farms and wind power (22 percent each) as the top energy sources that the government should prioritize for support, beating out natural gas (16 percent), nuclear (16 percent), oil (11 percent) and coal (4 percent).

'It is time for our elected officials to respond to this high public demand and enact policies that allow solar to compete with other energy sources on a level playing field,' said Resch."

Environment News Service had the story March 18, 2010.