Studies are showing that the interest and push for using new and clean renewable energy sources is growing fast among not just the public sector but also within the corporate world. Investment in technology for cleaner energy has surpassed that of traditional fossil fuel sources.
Last week, businesses still on the fence about exploring their options in renewable energy were given an encouraging nudge, an indicator that now may be the best time for private companies to take the plunge so many have delayed taking. According to one of two global studies commissioned by Vestas, the overwhelming majority of consumers want more renewable energy. And nearly half say they’d be willing to pay more for products made using it.
According to the Global Consumer Wind Study 2012 (GCWS), the desire for more renewable energy options was voiced by 85 percent of survey respondents, with 49 percent saying they’d have no problem digging deeper into their pockets to support companies committed to renewable energy in the product manufacturing process. Even more encouraging, those numbers spiked considerably when consumers were asked specifically about wind power, with 62 percent indicating that if given a choice, they would consciously choose to buy products manufactured using wind over traditional forms of power generation.
These statistics bode well for the efforts of WindMade, a nonprofit whose primary function is the identification of companies and products that rely on wind power for at least 25 percent of their overall electricity generation. The organization’s ultimate goal is not only to give eco-conscious consumers the information necessary to vote with their wallets, but also to generate interest for an industry whose potential still vastly exceeds its demand.
