Solar Power Supported by American Mayors

U.S. Conference of Mayors shows strong support for solar power

At a recent municipal conference last week, a survey revealed that solar power is supported by American mayors, overwhelmingly.   The U.S. Conference of Mayors included leaders from all cities of more than 30,000 people, and took place in Baltimore, Maryland.

Among the issues facing municipal leadership are the development of clean energy technology, deployment of solar power and the creation of green jobs.  To get to the heart of the matter, a Siemens survey was revealed to illustrate the fact that renewable energy resources for clean power is a high priority for American mayors across the country.  This moves solar power, and other technologies, to the forefront.

According to Deborah Dehaney-Howard, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the survey did not focus exclusively on solar power.  However, the results did show that many city leaders believe solar electricity production, along with energy-efficient building technologies and LED lighting systems, is among the top three most promising clean energy technologies.  However, even though the mayors admitted that the Recession has impacted city budgets, they still plan on increasing use of green energy over the next 5 years.

Overall, one quarter of the cities represented at the conference have already established renewable energy production standards.  In fact, notwithstanding the absence of a national policy on green energy, many cities have incorporated policies to encourage clean energy like solar power within their master plans.

Cities encouraging solar power growth

Even with solar power supported by American Mayors, there are still some geographical differences across the country.  Generally speaking, you’ll find more solar electricity being developed in the West and Northeast.  Yet, overall, 46% of the cities surveyed responded in the survey that they see solar power as one of the most promising clean energy technologies.

Tags: clean energy, green jobs, solar cities, solar conference, solar panels, solar power, u.s. conference of mayors

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