Public perception of renewable energy sources - experiences of a survey conducted in Hungary

Abstract

Today, there is a global consensus that renewable energy sources are needed, and their share of use must be significantly increased. Their penetration is influenced by a number of factors: the geographical conditions, the economic and political environment, the energy policy trends, the obligations under international commitments, and the social acceptance of the solutions.

A representative survey of the Transdanubian inhabitants conducted in 2017 showed that the interest in the topic and the knowledge of renewable energy sources could give reason for cautious optimism, but, according to our research at the time, the habit, the lack of information, the lack of tangibility of good practices, income levels, savings of the population and the ‘fear’ of the new were barriers to the widespread uptake of renewable energy sources in Hungary. Recent domestic subsidies for family and home renovation, energy insecurity caused by the war conflict, but also the increase in the propensity to renovate due to the time spent at home in the context of the epidemic situation, have clearly accelerated the public interest in renewables. Our revisit in 2022 also focused on the Transdanubian region. Public perception of the theoretical and practical issues of renewable energy use, their attitude towards the topic, their experiences, their vision of the future, and the regional differences that can be identified can bring the sector closer to exploiting the local and regional potential of the topic, and thus to implementing the necessary measures in practice.

The results of our research confirm that there has been a measurable improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of the various technical solutions related to the exploitation potential. According to our survey, solar systems are still the most popular today, but awareness of other technical solutions has also increased. The importance of renewable energy-based regional development is unquestionable. We believe that it is essential that knowledge about the potential of renewable energy should be made widely available, consciously developed, and integrated into public thinking. Individual investments should be made in the light of the advantages and disadvantages of possible solutions, taking into account local conditions.