SALT LAKE CITY — Utah residents value the low cost of energy in the state and want to keep those costs low as they march toward 2050, when the state is slated to nearly double its population.
While results from Envision Utah's "Your Utah Your Future" survey on the topic of energy reveal residents value cleaner sources of power generation, there comes a point when they are unwilling to pay for the high costs of energy storage.
Presented with a scenario that prioritizes energy production from a 50 percent renewable energy mix such as wind, solar and geothermal, a 41 percent reliance on natural gas and a near 60 percent increase in household expenses as a result of energy storage, less than a quarter of residents said "yes."
"Poll results show people want cleaner power generation, but they do not want to give up affordability to get it," said Alan Matheson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's environmental adviser.
The survey tapped the responses of nearly 53,000 residents as the result of an extensive 18-month outreach designed to provide a blueprint for the future on key issues such as education, air quality, water and transportation.
"One thing is clear is that Utahns are cost-conscious about their energy prices — for themselves and with respect to their homes," said Robert Grow, CEO and president of Envision Utah. "And we also know that is one of the key reasons businesses come to Utah — the low energy costs."
Grow said Utahns like renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal, but when costs triple due to the need to store the energy, such a heavy reliance on those alternatives fell flat with respondents.
"You can take renewables to a certain point where you don't have back up storage, but once you get to that point, it becomes expensive," Grow said.
A slight majority — 53 percent — of respondents landed on scenarios in which there is a gradual transition from coal to natural gas, with an increase in renewable sources of power generation.
"People understand that as we make that transition that incremental resources are going to cost more and they are recognizing that traditional resources like coal and natural gas are less expensive and take up less land mass," said Laura Nelson, director of the Governor's Office of Energy Development. "As they look at the balance between cost and environment, I think this poll shows they are more informed about those trade offs. … They want to balance that affordability with having improvements to the environment they value." In the Envision Utah survey scenarios, only one of them included coal as a specified option in the energy mix come 2050 — and even then it comprised only 14 percent of energy generation. "Based on government regulations, the task force could not envision a scenario where coal would be a signficant part of the mix by 2050," Grow said. "And that task force included the power company."
In fact, Rocky Mountain Power's long-range plans include either closing or converting to natural gas 10 of its coal-fired generation units between 2015 and 2029, according to spokesman Paul Murphy. It also plans to reduce its coal generation from current levels by approximately 40 percent by 2034.
The poll showed, too, that out of all the possible "outcomes" Utah residents desire from their energy future, minimizing air pollution impacts is the highest priority.
"There were a couple of major concerns for Utahns as they thought about energy," Grow said. "Most of the pollution we produce comes from burning energy. They are sensitive to energy because they really want the air to be clean. The second factor is that we they really want us to be energy independent," and draw from the state's diverse mix of natural gas, solar, wind and geothermal.
"Utahns want a diverse supply, so it is stable, low-cost and we are independent in terms of our supply," he said.
The survey showed the No. 1 thing Utah residents are willing to do to cut air pollution from energy sources is to invest money in more energy-efficient homes.
Grow said people's homes are among the "low hanging fruit" to boost energy efficiency and reduce air pollution, and the poll results show strong willingness to change that.
"Utahns are very, very willing to build more energy-efficient homes and businesses even though they may cost more up front because the paybacks are significant," he said.
The survey showed, too, that Utahns have not warmed up to nuclear energy as an option for the future, with worries over an accident and waste storage noted as detriments, Grow added.
"I think Utahns struck a balance here," he said. "They are cost-conscious, they want cleaner renewables and they want a strong base like natural gas which is cleaner than coal. And they want energy efficiency. Overall, I think they reached what they feel is a good balance."
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