Public support for energy portfolios in Canada: How information about cost and national energy portfolios affect perceptions of energy systems

Abstract

Public support for energy systems is a critical factor in the development and deployment of electricity-generating technologies. The publics’ support for energy developments may be driven by numerous factors, including the risks and benefits associated with the technology. It is well established that an important component in the deployment of energy systems is to assess the publics’ perceptions of the technology. There is also evidence that suggests providing information about the tradeoffs of different energy systems will encourage the public to make informed decisions regarding which energy technologies they support or oppose. To assess public perceptions of energy technologies, 1479 Canadians were surveyed about their preferences for nuclear, biomass, coal, wind, hydropower, solar, and natural gas. A portfolio approach was used to assess preferences for the seven technologies by asking respondents to create their ideal energy portfolio. In this manuscript, we examine (1) preferences for different energy sources, (2) whether preferences for these energy sources vary by province, and (3) whether providing information about the costs associated with the energy sources and the extent to which Canada relies on these different energy sources affects preferences for the technologies. Results indicate that participants were more likely to prefer energy portfolios that matched their current provincial energy portfolio. Results also show that participants were less supportive of expensive energy technologies and that providing information about the current state of electricity production may have a normalizing effect on energy perceptions. Implications for public policy and recommendations for communication about energy technologies are discussed.