People across the world have woken up to the fact that renewable energy is a source of local economic stability and energy security, particularly when it’s on their roofs.
Two in three people now support renewable energy and storage investment. Even more tellingly, solar farms – occasionally a battleground for local opposition – are now consistently proving to be more popular in local areas than any other form of power generation.
This is according to recent data from the 2026 Ipsos Energy Transition Barometer – a global survey conducted across 31 countries – and it provides a reality check that policymakers ignore at their peril.
As geopolitical turmoil again sends shockwaves through global oil and energy markets, driving up costs at the pump and on the grid, people worldwide are realising an inescapable truth: energy security is synonymous with economic security.
The headline figures are stark: three in four people globally are worried about rising energy costs, and half have been forced to cut back on other essentials just to keep the lights on.
This is a conversation about the immediate financial health of households and businesses. About their energy and petrol bills, this month, and next month. This is now.
For years, the energy debate has been framed through the lens of environmental necessity. That, clearly, is no longer the primary driver for the public.
If we accept that the public’s cries are for lower prices and greater energy independence, then we must accept that the status quo of volatile, expensive, imported energy that needs to be re-imported every few days is a failure.
The Ipsos data shows that the appetite for change is stronger than many decision makers assume.
A clear 60% of people now support energy independence.
People have realised that relying on volatile global markets, and the geopolitical tensions that come with them, is a recipe for economic fragility.
Anxiety regarding foreign energy dependency has spiked to 70%, driven by the immediate, concrete fear of conflict-induced energy price and supply shocks.
So, how do we deliver on the public’s demand for low prices and security? The answer, increasingly, is sitting on our roofs, in our back yards and across open spaces around our cities.
And that’s why the Global Solar Council has launched a new partnership with the Global Covenant of Mayors on Energy & Climate to turbo-charge residential rooftop solar and storage in 14,000 cities around the world.
For households and small businesses, the path to lower bills is increasingly rooftop solar and battery storage.
By generating their own power and storing it for when prices are highest, households can insulate themselves from price spikes created far away from home.
When we advocate for the mass deployment of solar and batteries, we are not just advocating for increased generation capacity, we are advocating for the democratisation of power. For Resilience. For self-sufficiency.
We are putting the ability to slash energy bills directly into the hands of the consumer, and in a way that means they will see the benefits next month.Building reliable energy systems rooted in domestic generation instead of rollercoaster commodity markets.
Through this lens, national roadmaps to transition away from old-fashioned energy are no longer optional green initiatives; they are the most effective economic policies available to us.
Whether it is efficient heat pump incentives – backed by 58% of the public – or the rollout of solar and storage, people are signalling that they want off the fossil fuel treadmill. They are tired of being hostages to global energy prices that they cannot control.
Support for renewable energy and electrification is deep and broad across many of the biggest countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Governments and decision makers in these countries need to understand the depth to this shift in public opinion and acknowledging the energy transition is an economic imperative for energy security and affordability.
If we want to build a consensus that lasts, we need to start talking to people about their bills and what can be done to cut them. In countries that are democracies, and in those that aren’t.
With the economic toll of our current energy model becoming harder to ignore, the shift to clean energy is an acceleration already well underway.
The data shows us that the public is ready to embrace renewable energy, because they realise it is the smartest way to keep their lights on, their costs down, and their independence secure.
The technology is ready and the economics are compelling. It’s time for policy to catch up.
Author: Sonia Dunlop is the CEO of the Global Solar Council where she represents the world’s solar PV and battery storage industry with respect to policy-makers, standards bodies and the public.
Note on the Ipsos Energy Transition Barometer 2026 polling: The polling represents the results of a 31-country survey conducted by Ipsos of more than 46,000 adults across: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, and the United States.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
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